


HIGH CEILINGS

by BellaGracie



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Class Differences, F/M, Historical AU, Infidelity, Peeta the Bounder, Regency Romance, Satire, The Merry Rake
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2018-10-03 08:01:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 113
Words: 97,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10239674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaGracie/pseuds/BellaGracie
Summary: Just having a little fun. Before I go back to some serious updating of my other WIPs, or RL forces me to put the brakes on.





	1. A COUNTRY BALL

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in England. In some Jane Austen-y setting.
> 
> Someone commented about "Regency" period, so yes, Regency period it is!
> 
> Because life is, you know, full of surprises.

High ceilings, Peeta thought, looking about him. His sister's country mansion in Yorkshire had the highest ceilings. Of course, her husband was Lord Plutarch, Duke of Heavensbee, a fact that his sister, Lady Primrose (though Peeta could never think of her as anything other than "Little Duck" -- her nickname from his Dear Departed Father, who was an Earl of the Peerage) never tired of mentioning. They had been married a little over a year.

People drifted through the ballroom in groups of two or three. Peeta craned his neck, desperately searching for his paramour, the very much-married Lady Anne, Countess of Odington, whose husband, Lord Finnick, was presently on an extended tour of duty in India. Peeta and Lady Anne had been childhood sweethearts, but when Anne turned 18, her parents had made her a match with Lord Finnick, whose family had twice the wealth of the Mellarks. Peeta's heart had been broken. For a year he had wandered the Continent, indulging in a string of sordid and transitory affairs. When he finally returned to England, he and the Lady Anne encountered each other -- quite by chance -- at a ball. On learning that her husband had been in India all year, and that no one could say for sure when Lord Finnick would be returning, he and Lady Anne had begun a flirtatious dalliance that quickly turned into something more.

There had been much sighing, much holding of hands, much kissing and groping, and eventually an honest-to-goodness romp in the townhouse of Lady Clove, a friend of Lady Anne's. Since then, the two had been almost inseparable. Much to the dismay of Anne's family (and, to a lesser extent, Peeta's).

It was a slightly overcast evening. As the ballroom gradually filled up with people, Peeta's impatience grew. The chatter merged over him, around him, never once penetrating his thoughts. All he sought was the sight of her, his one true love, the woman who had completely stolen his heart as a boy, and now held it firmly within her own.

He thought he heard a high trilling voice coming from the far end of the ballroom. Hastily, he made his way there, completely indifferent to the appreciative glances of more than a few high-born ladies.

The crowd seemed to part of its own accord. He smiled. He surged forward, hand outstretched.

The hand that found itself between his own felt slightly -- smaller? Peeta looked askance at his hand, then slowly lifted his eyes. Standing in front of him was a dusky maiden in a gown of palest lilac. She could not be called "African" exactly -- but her skin was of a distinctly darker hue than the skin of any of the ladies of his acquaintance. Was she perhaps Indian?

She seemed startled by the ardor of his hand -- he thought it was the Lady Anne's hand he was holding! -- which reminded him of his manners. Quickly, he bent his head and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

"My Lady -- " he said.

"My name is Katniss," she said softly.

"My Lady Katniss," Peeta said.

The woman hastily withdrew her hand, as if embarrassed by such attention.

Peeta was confused. His eyes played over her form. She was small -- much smaller than the other ladies present. Her figure was willowy. Her breasts were small -- smaller than his Anne's, at any rate. Yet, in spite of himself, Peeta found his pulse quickening.

* * * *

Peeta was dancing with Lady Anne in his arms. She seemed to breathe fire. She had not stopped berating him for paying so much attention to "the dusky maiden" whose name she pretended not to know.

"Katniss," Peeta had offered helpfully, which only increased Lady Anne's fury.

"What were you doing, conversing with her in the corner, behind the potted palms?" the Lady Anne demanded, while squeezing Peeta's broad shoulders beneath her gloved hands and making clear what she would be willing to bestow on him, later that night.

"I was simply being polite, as the young woman was unescorted -- "

"Yes, she was unescorted because she is the newest plaything of Lord Cray."

Peeta was so shocked he forgot to move. "No!" he burst out in horror. Lord Cray was a debauched old man, over sixty years of age. He kept his wife, the Lady Delilah -- who happened to be Peeta's second cousin -- shut up at home while he wandered the country in a fine carriage and set of chestnuts.

Lady Anne laughed. "Oh, you simpleton!" she tittered. "You did not know that Lord Cray has developed a taste for the darker skinned women? He finds them exotic! He developed a taste for that kind during his tour of duty in Burma, when he was a very young man. And your poor cousin, how she can bear it -- "

Peeta cut her off. "Stop. I won't hear such, such -- _filth_ \-- spoken about a young woman you hardly know."

"What? You seek to defend her? She is a whore! Of course she gets fancy ballgowns from Lord Cray. And probably much more besides. She has that string of pearls around her neck. She herself is, I heard, from the West Indies -- "

At that point, the Lady Primrose appeared at Peeta's side. "Peeta?" she said. She threw a pleading glance at her brother. "May I speak to you for a moment? In private?"

Lady Anne frowned. She looked about to protest, but Peeta said, "Of course, dear sister. Lady Anne, would you excuse us?"

Before Lady Anne could utter a word, Primrose led Peeta away. She only stopped pulling at his arm when they were well out of Lady Anne's hearing.

"Lies, Peeta, nothing but lies," Primrose hissed. "Katniss is an orphan. She was born in England, her mother is -- oh good heavens!"

There were startled screams coming from the center of the ballroom. It seemed Lady Anne had walked right up to Katniss, who was standing in a corner, and slapped her firmly across the face. Peeta grew pale.

But Lady Anne was not to have the last word. Katniss, eyes ablaze, had lifted her head proudly and said, in a voice crystal-clear, that carried from one end of the ballroom to another: "If I were a man, I would challenge you to a duel for such arrogance. But I am only a maiden, therefore I shall simply warn you: begone from my sight at once, or it will not go well with you!"

And suddenly, it was as if an arrow had pierced Peeta in the very center of his chest. He looked at the two women: Lady Anne, with her envious and haughty demeanor; and Katniss, the small woman who was trembling now with barely leashed fury.

He was moving forward, coming to the aid of Katniss. He took her by the arm. Her trembling lessened. He whispered three words: "I am sorry."

She turned on him a pair of blazing, proud eyes -- eyes of a stunning, smoky hue -- and said, "I am well able to take care of myself, Sir. If you will please release me -- "

Peeta knew people were tittering. He knew the Lady Anne was ready to claw the other woman's eyes out. Nevertheless, he remained at Katniss's side, motioning with one arm to the dance floor and saying, "May I have the honor of this dance?"

*     *     *

Lady Chively lifts one gloved hand and yawns becomingly. She is seated at a table next to her drawing room window, which faces the street. She is dressed to receive company, but no one has come by for an age. She frowns. She assumed she would be swamped with visitors when news of her status as wealthy widow had percolated through London society. On the contrary, however, she is left alone most of the time, with only her late husband's dreary uncle, Lord Sheridan, calling. And he is extremely dull.

She was rather incensed when, after bumping into Lord Plutarch and Peeta at the club, Lord Plutarch sent her a note that Peeta requested a postponement of their meeting, to a month from then. She was incensed, not just because she had been wanting to see Peeta (She was very sure she could get him into her clutches once again, since now she was no longer merely pretty, she was also wealthy. And what lord in his right mind would not want to have a wealthy woman for a mistress?), but because she had wanted to get the matter settled and behind her as soon as possible.

Truth to tell, she had no sketches of Peeta _in flagrante_. It had been a sham, a complete ruse. She had discarded any drawings he had left with her upon his return to England, deeming them worthless (In fact, she had a very low opinion of his talent as an artist, and did not think she would ever meet him again.) In fact, she had made it a point from then on to steer clear of any man with artistic leanings, for they were simply too unpredictable. When she had met Lord Balmoral, it was very clear (to her, at least) what it was, for by then she had long experience with men, and her internal radar enabled her to spot at a glance which men were closeting their true sexual predilections. Lord Balmoral was direly in need of a wife, for he was aiming for an appointment as Foreign Secretary, and it simply would not do for a position of that nature to be occupied by a man who dallied with boys. So, she had married her wealthy Lord, and it was now working out all according to plan.

Lord Balmoral had taken her to London, and she did muse occasionally on Peeta. And then she had met Lady Clove and Lady Glimmer, and their friendship with her led only to further musings, for the two ladies were simply obsessed with luring Lord Peeta away from his lowborn wife. They gushed over his handsomeness, and his tragic affair with Lady Anne, and said he had been trapped into marriage by a dusky tramp. And when she and Peeta had been together at the Prince of Wales's dinner, she had found herself strongly attracted, so attracted that she tried like might and main to get him to take her to dinner, and as she was very practiced in the arts of seduction, she was able to monopolize his attention all through dinner. She had misjudged him, however (or misjudged his wife), for he had been extemely cool to her following.

Fie, she thought. Let him run from her. For now.


	2. JEALOUSY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss lifts her voice and all the men in the ballroom are smitten. That includes Peeta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rival for Katniss's affection appears.

The singer Lady Primrose had engaged for the evening was atrocious. The high-born ladies tittered behind their fans, refusing to waste an entire hour listening to the unfortunate lass, a hire from the nearest village. She was comely to look at, however, with flaming coppery hair that glinted in the candle-light, and was being eyed wolfishly by several of the more inebriated lords.

Suddenly, Lady Primrose clapped her hands loudly and it appeared that was the signal for the dancing to resume. The assembled Lords and Ladies were surprised when Lady Primrose said:

"I wish to invite the Lady Katniss to entertain us with a song. I have invited her here expressly for the purpose. Her voice is lovelier than the voice of the loudest Mockingjay."

All talk ceased abruptly. Everyone turned their faces towards Katniss, who seemed to want nothing better than to vanish into a wall.

Peeta was at her side, however (the Lady Anne having long left the premises). Gently, he led her forward. The man seated at the pianoforte was someone of his acquaintance: a fiery man, known for his quick temper and fondness for duels. The man locked his gaze on Katniss's face as she approached, and Peeta felt an instant urge of protectiveness.

"Are you all right?" Peeta whispered to Katniss.

She nodded, but he was not fooled. Her back was as straight as a taut wire. He saw the slender column of her throat move. How he wished he could reach out a gentle hand and stroke the pulse he discovered there, at the base. There was a loud clearing of the throat. Oh! Peeta had been so absorbed in watching Katniss that he had not noticed Lord Plutarch approaching.

"My dear," Lord Plutarch said kindly to Katniss, "My wife assures me you have the finest voice in all of Yorkshire. She says you sing at High Mass in Yorkminster, and since then she has never missed an occasion to attend."

Katniss blushed furiously. Her eyes lifted, and she caught Peeta's encouraging gaze. Slowly, hesitantly, she walked forward and faced her audience.

There were a few mocking titters, mostly from friends and allies of Lady Anne, among whom Lady Clove, Duchess of Berkshire, seemed most vociferous. But Katniss ignored these malcontents. Lifting her head, she began to sing:

 _Winds blow high, winds blow low,_  
_winter comes and with it snow,_  
_drifts of snow,_  
_high and low._  
_Rivers freeze and then don't flow,_  
_till spring makes it all go._

Every person in the room subsided into awed silence. Peeta felt as though his heart had departed his body.

Suddenly, there was heard the sound of loud clapping. Peeta tore his gaze reluctantly away from Katniss. The appreciative gentleman, he saw, was the accompanist, whose name Peeta now recalled was Lord Gale. Lord Gale of something or other. Lord Gale, Baron of Clappington?

Peeta felt a sudden, irrational anger as he watched Lord Gale approach Katniss and come to a stop, a mere foot from her form.

"Forsooth, My Lady Katniss!" Gale began, putting his left hand over his heart, his dark eyes alight with (Peeta thought) kindling desire. "I have never, in all my life, heard such a perfect instrument as your voice."

Katniss bit her lower lip. An action which immediately set Peeta's heart beating louder than ever in his chest.

"My Lord mocks me -- " she began.

"Nay, nay," Peeta said, moving dexterously between her and Lord Gale. "He speaks the truth!"

*     *     *     *

After, Peeta learned that Katniss was spending the week at his sister's. He declared that it was his intention to spend the week there as well. Primrose's large blue eyes had widened, almost comically. But she had been quick to recover and mask her surprise in front of her husband.

"What? Peeta intends to spend the week here?" Lord Plutarch exclaimed. "But why did you not have a room prepared? My dear, you have been most remiss!"

Lady Primrose dropped her eyes and murmured that she would have Peeta's room prepared "directly."

As soon as Lord Plutarch had wandered off (for he was not a great one for socializing, and the events of the evening had bored him utterly), Lady Primrose said to Peeta: "Dearest brother, how are you to repair relations with Lady Anne? You have vexed her exceedingly!" For his dalliance was an open secret, at least in London.

Yet Peeta felt discomfited with guilt; never before had he cared so little for the Lady Anne's reactions to his behavior. Neither had he expected his sister to be so direct in addressing his relations with the Lady.

When he failed to respond, Primrose laid a firm hand upon his arm: "You are my only brother, and I love you most dearly. Perhaps there is no one in the world I love more than I love you -- with the exception of my devoted husband, Plutarch."

Peeta smiled slightly and covered Primrose's hand with his own. "You, my sister, are God's gift. There is no one more patient, more generous, and more kindhearted than you. I am glad that Lord Plutarch appreciates your qualities."

"But I must press the point, dearest brother: you behaved most coolly to Lady Anne this evening. It caused much displeasure among her set. I overheard Lady Clove referring to you in the rudest of terms. She only forbore when she saw I was close by."

Peeta looked quite dejected. "I shall do my best to make amends to the Lady Anne," he said.

"Do, brother," Primrose said, nodding. "And in the meantime, I have taken precautions to place your rooms as far from Katniss's as possible. You shall be in the West Wing, by me. And Katniss shall be in the East Wing."

"The East Wing?" Peeta said, raising his eyebrows. "But that is over the scullery!"

"It is," Primrose said. "But she will not complain. She is used to far worse. She was but a kitchen maid not a year ago."

It was at this precise moment that Peeta detected movement at the far end of the parlor, by the door. He quickly lifted his head, just in time to see Katniss -- rather, Katniss's rapidly retreating figure -- as she attempted to back out the door as unobtrusively as possible.

 


	3. KATNISS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And one more, just for kicks.
> 
> This will be a kind of satire (esp the Peeta/Annie parts)
> 
> This chapter, though, I'll try and write it more realistically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Truly, I am writing this while working at an actual JOB. Everlark is my escape. I hope I can stretch it out. No promises, though.
> 
> ARE THOSE FOR ME? and AFTER THE VICTORY -- I promise not to keep you waiting too long for updates.

The room Katniss was given was small. She had heard what the Lady Primrose had said, that Katniss would not mind. And, truthfully, she did not. She knew her place. She was embarrassed by the attention she had received at the ball, in a borrowed dress, with a string of pearls (her dear departed grandmother's) at her neck. It was the only thing she had from the old woman, who had been Katniss's rock, her nest, her guide -- all the years of Katniss's young life until the previous spring, when her grandmother had suddenly taken ill with pneumonia and died. Leaving Katniss alone in the world: her mother had disappeared long ago, and Katniss's father was a soldier in India who had not been heard from in over 15 years and was presumed dead.

The day of her grandmother's passing was the darkest day of Katniss's young life. She had tended her grandmother with passion and care, had even entertained hopes that her grandmother was slowly improving. But, one morning, she had awoken to feel an uncommon chill (she always slept beside her grandmother). When she turned her grandmother over, she saw from the attitude of the face and a strange rigidity in her jaw that her grandmother's spirit was no longer in the body. And she had wailed, such piercing wails that the neighbors had come running. Then she had fainted. And when she awoke, she was still in her grandmother's bed, but her grandmother was laid out on the kitchen table: a neighbor who had much experience with death had cleaned and combed her grandmother's face and hair, and arranged the old woman's nightgown, and she looked, though not peaceful, not as frightening as she had when Katniss had looked at her that morning.

After her grandmother's modest funeral, Katniss found that she was in possession of a small amount of material wealth: her grandmother's tidy house was not her own and would have to be returned to its rightful owner, who happened to be Lord Plutarch Heavensbee. But her grandmother had been frugal, and Katniss found she had enough funds to provide her a modest standard of living -- provided she augmented it with gainful employment. At first, she had attempted to find work as a governess, for she dearly loved little children and had watched over the children of a few of her neighbors, for very reasonable pay. But it was a different thing to be a governess. For she had to live with her employers, and the husbands were not respectful. That is, they sometimes pinched her cheeks, not to mention her bottom, and she soon made up her mind that she would never seek work as a governess again.

The pastor of a neighboring parish had come calling one day, and told her he was looking for someone to lead the choir. He had a formidable minster -- it was so grand, Katniss fairly shook when she saw it. But the pastor -- Pastor Chaff was his name -- seemed like a kind man. And she loved music, had always loved music. When her grandmother was alive, she sang almost the whole day long.

Pastor Chaff had kindly offered her a room in his own home, but she quickly refused that kindness. She had determined never again to live under someone else's roof -- especially not the roof of an employer. She had found a rooming house in the next village, a reputable rooming house, run by the Sisters of Charity. The nuns were above reproach, and so was Katniss. For a time, she lived there, and was content. Being with the nuns -- though they rarely spoke to her -- helped ease her considerable loneliness.

The Lady Primrose had approached Katniss after mass. Katniss had been overwhelmed by the Lady's beauty. Upon learning that the Lady Primrose was married to her grandmother's erstwhile landlord, Lord Plutarch Heavensbee, Katniss had knelt before Lady Primrose and expressed her heartfelt gratitude for their kindness toward her grandmother (Lord Plutarch had paid for the funeral, which she understood had been prompted by his devotion to the woman who had been his one-time nurse). When Lady Primrose invited Katniss to visit with her for a week, she had not the strength to refuse. Explaining her week's absence to Pastor Chaff (who expressed nothing but happiness on Katniss's behalf), she had gone.

Of the ball itself, she had no expectations. She had not expected an invitation, and was taken aback when Lady Primrose had insisted she attend. At first, Katniss had refused, citing her lack of suitable wardrobe. But Lady Primrose had gone so far as to lend her a dress -- a beautiful, lilac dress, so beautiful that Katniss had even hesitated to touch it. Eventually, she allowed herself to put it on. And something of pride took root in her heart. She had never been a vain person, but she was secretly thrilled to wear something so fine. She was still a young girl, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are probably many things that seem unrealistic -- don't kill me! I don't usually write "period." But I thought it would be fun to try.


	4. AT MASS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I go again! Spinning a tale whose end I can't foresee . . .

Ever since Lady Primrose became a regular attendee at Mass in Yorkminster, Katniss had begun to come out of the sorrow of her grandmother's death. She looked forward to seeing Lady Prim every Sunday, and the younger woman never missed a chance to exchange a few words with Katniss afterwards.

Only rarely was Lady Prim accompanied by her husband, Lord Plutarch, but when he was in attendance it was plain that the couple were affectionate and respectful with each other. Lord Plutarch was at least 10 years older than Lady Prim, but treated his wife with great deference.

One day, Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch were joined by another couple. The couple arrived in the churchyard in a smart pony and trap set. The man driving the trap had blonde hair and blue eyes and was similar in appearance to the Lady Prim. His female companion had rich, chestnut hair, tending more towards auburn, and had ravishing green eyes. She was dressed in the highest fashion of the day, and wore on her head a glorious white hat, adorned with peacock feathers.

Katniss found herself becoming more nervous than usual at mass. Her eyes kept darting to the new couple. They were seated next to Lord Plutarch and Lady Prim, in the front row. The young man never once took his eyes off his companion, a fact which aroused in Katniss a jealous pang, even though she did not know the young man or the young woman. She sighed inwardly at their beauty, at their fitness for each other. And, more than that, the young man made no attempts to conceal his feelings for the young woman at his side. It was wondrous.

That day, Reverend Chaff began his sermon thus:

"I remember years ago, so long ago I can't be sure whether dream or memory, that I woke up in the middle of the night crying from a dream of being chased, and my Dearest Mother got up to ease my fears by boiling a pan of milk . . . "

But such was Katniss's distraction that she never heard the rest of the sermon, and was startled to hear:

". . . thus, permit God to be your salvation and your strength. Be, in all your dealings, Christian. Love thine enemies, turn the other cheek, and live in accordance with humility and honesty."

Katniss bowed her head, letting the words of the kind priest penetrate her thoughts.


	5. LADY ANNE OF ODINGTON

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The childhood of Lady Anne. Satirical, don't judge me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to vacate my office while they fixed a heating problem. So, while twiddling my thumbs in a park, I thought up this chapter.

The Lady Anne of Odington had been much doted on by her late father, the 5th Earl of Panem. She was his only child, and had grown up in a sprawling estate in Devonshire, where 27 servants lived year-round, to watch over the little girl. She had a tree house (it had four rooms, so it was more of a tree mansion) and a carousel, close by her private rooms. And, it was rumored, her collection of dolls with porcelain faces rivaled that of the Queen's.

For her 9th birthday, her parents had thrown her a party, to which they had invited gentry from as far away as Wales. The Mellarks, minor gentry from Yorkshire, had been on the lists of guests. Their children, Peeta and Primrose, were at that time 12 and 8.

It came to everyone's notice that Anne formed an instant bond with the boy Peeta, following him around from morning till night. There were other parties, and eventually, after a few years, Peeta came more often than Primrose. Eventually, only Peeta came, and stayed over (though in a separate wing from the Lady Anne, to preserve an image of propriety).

By the time Lady Anne was 15, she had blossomed into a lovely young woman, with a complexion as fair as snow, lips as red as a rose, and abundant auburn hair that, in certain lights, seemed to form an aureole around her tiny, wistful face. Lords began taking note of her, and making approaches to her father, the Earl. He, however, was protective of his daughter and, while not objecting to the point of rudeness, made it quite clear that he would not be arranging matches for his daughter, not until she was at least 18 years of age.

And then, a minor skirmish broke out in the border countries. The Earl of Panem's second cousin, whose fiefdom in Leith was affected, called upon the Earl for succor, and the Earl proceeded at once to southern Scotland, but on the way was waylaid by a band of highwaymen, who divested him of his carriage, his horses, his valuables, and his life.

His wife was so taken aback with grief that she expired not long after.

And then the Lady Anne was quite bereft. Only her close friendship with Peeta Mellark prevented her from falling into utter despair.

While Anne was being comforted by Peeta, her uncle in Scotland had become a widower. He was quite aware of the fact that the Lady Anne had inherited all the riches of her late parents, and was a beautiful woman besides, and decided to make her his wife. Before her uncle could carry out his intentions, however, Lady Anne's grandmother (on her mother's side) had become her legal guardian (as stipulated in her parents' will). This woman had developed quite a fondness for her distant nephew, Finnick of Odington, who was the most beautiful man in the kingdom of England (or any of its far-flung colonies). The Scottish uncle retired to his castle and was never heard from again.

Though Peeta was, this gentle lady acknowledged, quite handsome himself, with eyes of steely blue and a jaw that could cut glass, he did not have wealth commensurate with that of the Odingtons. Therefore, over Lady Anne's tearful protestations, she was betrothed to Lord Finnick.

At that point, Lady Anne threatened to throw herself from the tower (of her mansion), and Peeta declared he would spirit her away to Ireland, where they would live in a castle belonging to his uncle twice removed, the Earl of Kavanaugh.

No one, however, could deny the suitability of the match between Lady Anne and Lord Finnick. And, once Lady Anne had been personally introduced to Lord Finnick (in London, at a ball), she became so smitten with Lord Finnick that she turned away from Peeta, her childhood sweatheart, and two months later Lady Anne and Lord Finnick were wed in Westminster (by special dispensation of the King, who was godfather to Lord Finnick).

The Mellarks, naturally, were not invited to the wedding, and soon after it was heard that Peeta had taken himself off to the Continent.

Lady Anne and Lord Finnick lived in perfect peace and contentment for a little over six months. Then, an opportunity to further his personal wealth by embarking on an enterprise in India lured him away. He and Lady Anne swore to write each other every week, and then Lord Finnick was off.

He wrote regularly, and at first Lady Anne was quite a recluse, refusing to indulge in balls or any form of socializing, and spending all year in the country, on the Odingtons' estate. But, after a year had passed, Lady Anne was persuaded by her good friend, the Duchess Clove, to attend a ball in London.

Now, wagging tongues implied that the Duchess Clove had lured Peeta home from the Continent, and the Lady Anne out of her seclusion in the country, simply to see what wickedness she could foment at the meeting of these two erstwhile sweethearts. And wickedness did commence, because Lady Anne was soon being escorted about London by Peeta, and nothing the family of Lord Finnick could say would dissuade her (after all, her personal wealth was far greater than that of the Odingtons). Besides, it was too, too entertaining, seeing these beautiful young people fall in love all over again. And it was the most beautiful story the fast set had ever witnessed, that year anyway. And though faint hints had been received by Lord Finnick over in Dharamsala, on the Indian border with Tibet, he put the kibbosh on them and said he would not put the slightest credence in malicious gossip.

And there we have the story of Lady Anne and Peeta, just before Katniss Everdeen came on the scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know what I'm doing. Enjoy (hopefully)


	6. A CONVERSATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta invites Katniss for a walk in the garden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how this story is going to play out but I do hope you will continue to find it amusing.

Peeta, in the drawing room with Prim, was aghast to see Katniss's rapidly retreating form, only moments after Prim mentioned that Katniss would not mind a small room.

Leaving Prim's side at once, he hurried to catch up with her. She, however, showed no sign of slowing down. From the direction of her steps, he guessed she was heading for the garden.

"Katniss!" Peeta called. "Katniss, please!"

Katniss stopped immediately. But she did not turn around. Peeta approached carefully, feeling as if he were approaching a wild animal who might turn and lash out at him any moment. Truly, he had never met anyone like the young woman now standing before him. In her simplicity of dress, in her comportment (both humble and proud) and, yes, in her beauty. He knew that, each moment in Katniss's presence, he was sinking quicker and quicker into a quagmire from which there would be no escape.

"Yes, my Lord?" Katniss said, without raising her eyes.

"Do not call me that," Peeta said. "You must call me Peeta."

"Pee-ta," Katniss said slowly, still not raising her eyes.

Peeta noticed she wore no adornments of any kind, neither in her ears nor around her neck.

"Would you like to take a walk?" he asked, extending an arm and indicating the garden, with a turn of his head.

"Sir, I cannot," Katniss said. "I must prepare to return to my home."

"No," Peeta said, reaching for Katniss's ungloved hand and placing it on his forearm. "My sister informed me you were to stay for a week."

"Yes, but matters beyond my -- "

"There are very few things that cannot be fixed by a walk in a garden," Peeta insisted.

"Oh no," Katniss demurred. "You are very kind, sir, but I do not wish to impose."

"My name is Peeta, as I have said three times now, and if you refuse to call me by my given name, you will offend me utterly. I may have to challenge you to a duel, in fact."

Katniss glanced up at this. At the sight of her serious, grave face, Peeta's heart speeded up. He gently pulled her towards a pair of French doors that led to a wide stone balcony. Beyond lay the garden, the splendour of all Yorkshire. Lord Plutarch had spared no expense. Closer to the house were a variety of blooming rose bushes. There was a circular path marked around the rose hedges, and this was the way where Peeta now led Katniss.

Katniss could not help staring with wonder at the beauty that surrounded them. The hurt that had settled in her chest when she had overheard Peeta's and Prim's conversation in the parlor slowly began to ease. Peeta, watching her face closely, observed a small smile steal over her features. _She is more beautiful than any rose_ , he thought to himself.

It was then, however, that their walk was interrupted by a servant who said, "If you please, sir, the Lady Anne awaits you in the drawing room."

At the mention of the name "Lady Anne," Katniss blushed and started and seemed about to flee. Sensing her acute embarrassment, Peeta placed a warm hand over the one that was still resting on his arm. "I shall not be long," he assured her. "Wait for me here."

Peeta followed the servant to the drawing room. The Lady Anne was standing in wait, her back to the fireplace, on her lovely face a most wrathful visage.

"Peeta," said Lady Anne, in a voice cloyingly sweet and in direct contradiction to her facial expression, "The maid tells me you have decided to spend a week in the country. You know it is our custom to attend the Duchess Clove's annual Regents Ball, which is but two days hence, in London."

"Ah!" Peeta said, keeping his face carefully blank. _He had completely forgotten._ Turning quickly to the servant, who remained in the room, by the door, with eyes discreetly cast down, he said, "And where is Lady Prim? Has she been informed of Lady Anne's presence?" _  
_

"The Lady Prim has departed, sir," the maid said.

"Departed?" Peeta said, greatly surprised. "Where to?"

"She has gone to visit a cousin of Lord Plutarch's," Lady Anne said, barely able to contain a smile of satisfaction. "She told me so herself. We passed at the entrance. She bade you not to expect her before suppertime."

"Has she really gone?" Peeta said, unable now to conceal his perturbation. _Who was this cousin? His sister had never mentioned a cousin of Plutarch's nearby._ "That is most unlike my sister, to leave without saying a word to me."

The maid now spoke, blushing furiously. "I beg pardon, sir, Lady Prim instructed me to tell you, but Lady Anne arrived before I could deliver the message -- "

"Oh, do be quiet!" Lady Anne said, having decided the time was right to leave her post by the fireplace and approach Peeta. "Now, leave us and close the door gently behind you. My ears are still ringing from the last time!"

The maid curtsied and made a precipitous exit. Unfortunately banging the door loudly in her nervousness.

"Heavens!" Lady Anne said, jumping slightly and clutching the ivory fan which dangled from one of her delicate wrists. "I would never -- not for a moment -- endure such rudeness in my household. You must have a word with your sister, Peeta."

"I shall," Peeta said.

Lady Anne approached ever closer, her eyes grazing hungrily over Peeta's form. "My dearest -- " she began, twining her slender arms around his neck and tilting her face up for a kiss.

"Oh, umm, er -- " Peeta said, backing hastily away, so hastily that he stumbled over a poker.

Lady Anne brought both hands up to her ears with a grimace of annoyance. "Ugh, my ears are quite assaulted! In the space of two minutes! This is a poor excuse for a household." Then, recollecting herself, she observed how Peeta was brushing off his pants and said, in the sweetest tone she was capable of: "Allow me to help you get tidied up, my love."

 

 

 


	7. PEETA AND THE LADY ANNE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta is unable to resist Lady Anne. Don't kill me. This is satire.

Katniss wandered in the garden for as long as she could. She really hadn't expected Peeta to return. After all, with Lady Anne visiting, they would probably be much happier to be left alone. Far from feeling neglected, however, she was happy. She did enjoy looking at the beautiful garden, and admiring the neatly trimmed hedges, and the different shades of roses. The sky was clear, there was nowhere she had to be, nowhere she wanted to go, she could simply wander outside for as long as it pleased her. She took a deep breath and decided to walk to a little copse of trees, in the middle of which was a charming pergola.

She did regret, however, having forgotten her book. She remembered bringing it with her from her room -- it was a thin little book about the life of Saint Gertrude, founder of the first Benedictine nunnery, in Upper Saxony in 1272. The Sisters of Charity had lent it to Katniss, thinking it would improve her mind.

Little did they know that Katniss was accustomed to reading a wide variety of books -- everything from Butler's Lives of the Saints to more modern amusements like the novels of Jane Austen. Her grandmother had indulged Katniss's fondness for reading, and books were one of Katniss's few true pleasures.

She tried to remember where she might have left the book: she remembered entering the drawing room. Most likely it was there? But Peeta was entertaining Lady Anne and she would hate to intrude.

Since she was a brisk walker, it did not take her long to reach the pergola. Standing in it, she noted that each of the pergola's columns was decorated with inscriptions running all the way to the very top. She did not know much Latin so she could not understand them, but she said the words aloud, wonderingly. She so lost herself in making up meanings for the words that she did not see Peeta come stealing up behind her. He had left her over an hour earlier. Lady Anne had to be placated with affectionate kisses and embraces and all the while Peeta's thoughts were with Katniss; he was quite anxious to get back to her.

At length, Lady Anne had straightened her garments (for they were used to snatching whatever privacy they had and making the most of the time) and announced she would be seeing Peeta in London, two days hence. Then, planting a long and lingering kiss on his mouth, she had departed, patting her curls and calling for her footman.

The maid came in shortly after and seemed absolutely discomfited to find Peeta buttoning his breeches. He quickly turned away, and so did the maid. But his hair was a mess, his cravat unfastened. Lady Anne, no doubt spurred on by jealousy, had been particularly demanding that afternoon.

Peeta sighed. He did love Lady Anne, but there was another woman that was beginning to exert an undeniable hold on him. It was confusing, for Peeta had never imagined another woman rivaling Lady Anne in his affections. But he could not deny that he wished to spend every possible moment in the company of Katniss. He had thought the more prudent course would be to appease Lady Anne by being affectionate, by showering her with kisses and embraces. Unfortunately, her hunger seemed quite unappeasable and no matter what he did, she would not be sated. She had even been brazen enough to unbutton his breeches. He had stumbled to the drawing curtains and drawn them closed, to avoid the chance of anyone peeking in, but the house servants -- he well knew what the gossip would be tonight in the scullery.

He had hurried to the garden as soon as he could -- stopping first by his chambers to throw on a fresh shirt -- but found the circular path around the rose garden to be quite deserted. He had felt shattered, a feeling so intense and unexpected that for several moments, he could do nothing but look for the nearest bench to rest and compose himself.


	8. LADY PRIM AND PEETA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Later that same day, upon the return of Lady Primrose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I upped the rating to Teen, mostly on the basis of some salacious gossip about Peeta that appears later in this chapter. Hope it's not too, too rude.

When Lady Primrose returned to her home early in the evening, she was surprised to find Peeta and Katniss conversing together in the library. A fire burned merrily in the fireplace, and the room, which normally Primrose never entered, as books did not hold the same attraction for her as they did for her husband, was cozy and inviting.

She was most struck by the change in Katniss. The young woman, who had seemed so shy, was now talking and laughing animatedly with Peeta.

Primrose watched her for a few moments. She was not a suspicious person, far from it, but she well knew that Lady Anne's visit that day was prompted by more than simply happenstance. Lady Anne was jealous. Everyone knew it, especially after the ball. The fact that Lady Primrose continued to extend hospitality to the "dusky maiden" (the duskiness will be explained later on, if time permits) was a shock to the high-born lords and ladies of the district. No one, however, was willing to confront Lady Primrose, as Lord Plutarch Heavensbee was the richest man in Yorkshire, with estates rivaling those of Panem, or even the King of England himself.

Lady Primrose loved her brother dearly. She had watched as his heart was broken by Lady Anne, how he had descended for a time into debauchery. Oh, how she had rejoiced when he had finally returned from the Continent! She had tried her utmost to lift his spirits by introducing him to fair Ladies, and great was her dismay when, after attending a ball hosted by the (evil, to Lady Primrose) Duchess Clove, he seemed to have rekindled his former relationship with Lady Anne. In vain had Primrose begged Peeta to desist, terrified that should word reach Lord Finnick in India, he would challenge Peeta to a duel. Though Peeta was quite a good shot (as he had been in a handful of duels before, and always gained the upper hand), she did not wish him to take his chances with Lord Finnick, who was reputed to be the best shot in all of England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.

But all entreaties were in vain when Lady Anne herself seemed determined to maintain the relationship, demanding that Peeta escort her to balls, to the theatre, to promenades in Hyde Park, and to Sunday mass. In time, Lady Primrose hoped, the intensity of the feelings would fade. For, as her husband had said one evening, when Primrose was particularly despondent over some gossip she had overheard -- gossip about how "fit" Peeta was in bed, how strong his arms were, and how rude his "engine" or whatever was (all of these delightful details divulged by Lady Anne to her closest confidantes, who were even more delighted to spill her secrets far and wide) -- "It is but a fever," Lord Plutarch had said. "Let him be. Better for a young man to sow his wild oats" and etc

A month or so after Lady Primrose's conversation with her husband, she heard Katniss sing for the first time. The young girl had the most beautiful voice Lady Primrose had ever heard. The following Sunday, she insisted that Lord Plutarch accompany her to mass, and after that Lord Plutarch himself agreed that Katniss's voice was like no other, and that she was "very pleasant to look at" besides. Lady Primrose took no offense at Lord Plutarch's taking notice of Katniss's looks, as every English Lord was allowed to look and judge and comment, as much as he damn well pleased. And Lady Primrose knew quite well the place she had in her husband's affections.

Her invitation to Katniss to stay the week was not motivated out of a secret wish to introduce her to Peeta, but was motivated by generosity and kindness. Great was her dismay, therefore, at the events of the ball. And, when Lady Anne had appeared at her home, and demanded to see Peeta, Lady Primrose thought it would be best to take herself off for several hours, to allow the two lovers to, as it were, "clear the air." She only regretted that she had not been able to bring Katniss along with her. She worried at what might befall the young woman, in Lady Anne's presence. But now, seeing her being so delightfully entertained by Peeta, Primrose's heart was at rest. She advanced into the room with a wide smile on her face.

"Katniss, Peeta! It is such a lovely day out. I'm sure I didn't believe it at first when the maid told me you were both in here!" Prim said.

Katniss blushed prettily, and Peeta looked -- annoyed? Prim decided to ignore him. She seated herself on a chair next to Katniss. "What were the two of you discussing? I don't believe I've ever heard such animated conversation -- certainly not in the library!"


	9. PEETA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure about the ratings for the level of innuendo in this chapter, but just to be safe I changed the rating from Teen to Mature.
> 
> Again, just to remind you: this is satire!

After retiring to his rooms that evening, Peeta was in a state of great agitation. Foremost in his heart was a feeling of shame.

Peeta, despite the afternoon's activities in the drawing room with Lady Anne, was not a louche. He was rarely inebriated, for example, and did not make it a habit to frequent the alehouse. His only sin -- if it was considered sin to express love freely -- was in engaging in relations with Lady Anne, a married woman, a woman whose husband, Lord Finnick, was an upstanding gentleman, certainly not the kind of man who deserved Peeta's hatred.

In fact, Peeta knew, deep in his heart, that he did not hate Lord Finnick. Naturally, it was difficult for Peeta to remain calm when his love, Lady Anne, tortured him with tales of Lord Finnick's tirelessness in bed. Lady Anne and Lord Finnick had only been together for six months after the marriage, but Anne confided to Peeta that Lord Finnick quite wore her out; they had relations at least twice a day. It was a wonder she did not get with child. But Anne, winking at Peeta in a conspiratorial way, said she had employed certain tricks, which had been taught to her by the Duchess Clove (The Duke was a repellent man of upwards of 70 years, so no one faulted the Duchess Clove for wishing to avoid having his children, though only Lady Anne knew that Duchess Clove was anxious to have a child with her lover, a much younger man, who it now appeared had moved on to someone else, and who the Duchess now wished to murder, though she had as yet acquired no skills in that department) -- who was well versed, apparently, in all manner of bedroom subterfuge -- to avoid that eventuality, knowing in her heart that she was much too young to be saddled with the burden of children.

Even now, mindful of the blot on her reputation that would ensue if she were to welcome her husband home having gotten herself "knocked up" in his absence, Lady Anne was exceedingly diligent about imbibing certain potions just before and just after her lovemaking with Peeta. And at any rate, Peeta made it clear that he was quite content with other forms of pleasuring her. Putting his mouth between her legs, for instance. Or nibbling her breasts. Either of which activities produced the desire result: Anne's crying out in bliss, a sound he had always thought was the most beautiful sound in the universe. Until a few days ago, when he had listened to Katniss sing.

Peeta still did not know anything about Katniss. He did not know whether she was sanguine (like his paramour) or choleric (also like his paramour; and certain others of her set) or melancholic. He did not know her age or the provenances of her birth. He did not know her parentage or where she had learned to sing like an angel.

Her vocal accents led him to think she was from a county nearby; for the English are stubborn about their genealogy, and the accents of county speech are preserved for many generations. Her hands were rather rough-looking, the cuticles bitten (Oh, poor hands, that he could rub them with fragrant oils and -- here Peeta had to labor very hard to stop his mind from wandering further on the blandishments he wished to perform on the beautiful stranger's body). She seemed in awe at everything in the house, startled like a mouse when he first spoke to her, but had shown a flash of spirit at the ball, when Lady Anne had accosted her so rudely. Whether Katniss liked him, or was merely being polite, Peeta could not discern. Though, being of an age -- 24 -- and a level of experience above that of the average English gentleman (Lady Anne had taught him many things, which she professed to have learned from her dear husband, Lord Finnick), he thought it not too far-fetched that Katniss's amiability was a result of a personal inclination toward him. This made him very proud, and he would have spent all day in conversation with her, if he had not been so rudely reminded by Lady Anne that she expected him in London, in two days' time.

Two days' time! The thought of leaving his sister's house and worse, of leaving Katniss, consumed him. Peeta threw himself on the bed and tugged at his hair, going over his conversation with Katniss in the library (He thought nothing of the activities he had engaged in with Lady Anne; they had ceased to interest him utterly, the moment they ended). He adored the shy tilt of Katniss's head, the way she listened to him with full and focused attention, her eyes never departing from his own. Without his being aware of it, he had gradually moved closer and closer to her -- so that, at his sister's precipitate return, their hands were almost touching.

Well, there was still the next day -- he would find out as much about her as he could. Peeta rose from the bed and dressed for dinner with great urgency, not wanting to lose a moment more in being apart from Katniss.


	10. A WALK IN THE ROSE GARDEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reference is made to "Gulliver's Travels."
> 
> Prim begins to suspect the nature of Peeta's feelings towards Katniss.

"Peeta!" Lady Primrose said. "It is not even nine o'clock. What are you doing up?"

"Hmmm. I, er -- " Peeta was quite discomfited. He had woken early and gone straight to the garden, hoping to find Katniss there. "Went to bed early. So, umm, I awoke early."

"Well!" Prim said, cocking an eyebrow. "This is quite a change, dear brother. Not that I do not welcome it. Now you may walk with me as I snip roses for the house." Prim loved her garden. She would spend all day in it if she could.

"Is -- is everyone awake?" Peeta said, feeling slightly foolish.

"Everyone -- ?" Prim said. "That is a strange question. The servants are awake, of course. Oh!" she stopped and put a hand against her cheek. "Peeta! I do declare! You are smitten with Katniss!"

Peeta reddened. "No! I mean -- she is a -- wonderful lady. And quite comely. I -- ah -- "

"Good morning," Katniss said, appearing suddenly on the path. Her long, dark hair was done up in a neat braid. Peeta thought he had never seen her look more beautiful. "I heard voices and thought I would join you. That is," she hesitated, "if I am not interrupting anything."

"Certainly not!" Peeta said, moving quickly and taking Katniss's hand. She permitted him to place her hand on his arm. When Peeta turned to look at Prim, his sister had a strange look on her face. He decided to ignore it. "The day has just improved a hundred fold, now you have joined us."

Katniss nodded, and the three continued up the path.

"Did you sleep well, Katniss?" Prim inquired.

"I did, thank you," Katniss said.

"I see you have a book there," Prim said, nodding at Katniss's other hand. "I declare, I have never known anyone to love reading as much as you."

"It is a book Peeta recommended to me yesterday," Katniss said.

"Peeta recommended a book!" Prim said, unable to keep the astonishment out of her voice. She turned to her brother. "I was not aware you liked to read, dear brother."

"I do like to read, dear sister," Peeta said. "We have simply never engaged on the subject, but I read a great deal."

"Hmph," Prim said. "Well, what sort of books do you like to read? Do enlighten me."

"This book is very good," Katniss put in, to Prim's surprise. Then she blushed and fell silent.

"Oh, pray continue," Prim urged her. "What book did my dear brother recommend?"

"It is called Gulliver's Travels," Katniss said. "And it is quite humorous."

"A humorous book! Now you have truly piqued my curiosity. Tell me more," Prim said.

"It is about a man called Gulliver who visits a land called Lilliput," Katniss said. All the while, Peeta was silent, but he was listening intently, and marveling at Katniss's sincerity. He had never, ever had any lady acquaintances who admitted they spent any time reading. Most of the women he knew would rather discuss gowns, or hairdressers, or carriages. Even his own dear sister was like that.

"And?" Prim prodded Katniss on.

"And the people are very tiny. And they are afraid of him," Katniss said.

"What do you mean by 'tiny'? Why would they be afraid of the man?" Prim said.

"Well, he is at least 20 times their size, so naturally -- "

"Oh, do stop!" Prim said, bursting into a peal of laughter. "How can a man be 20 times the size of another! Why, he must be a veritable giant! And we know giants do not exist in this world! Do we not, Peeta?"

Peeta threw an exasperated glance at his sister. "Giants do exist, they exist in the imagination. And if a book is a satire -- "

"Oh, do stop!" Prim said. "This is too much information, so early in the day! I tell you what, Katniss. Tonight, after dinner, you shall read us a chapter of the book. I am sure Lord Plutarch would be much entertained."

"Oh, I -- " Katniss began to demur.

"I shall read it for you," Peeta said. "Never fear."

And Peeta threw such an earnest glance at Katniss that Prim, noting his expression, was stunned speechless.

The three continued up the path. Lady Primrose made it a point to hang back a little, so that she could keep her brother and Katniss clearly in her sight. She now remarked how easily the two conversed, and how little intimidated Katniss appeared by her brother -- which was not, in Prim's experience, the usual response of ladies to Peeta. It seemed no woman could get past his physical attributes; all were constantly batting their eyelashes at him. Not Katniss, however. She seemed to respond to something in Peeta quite apart from his male-ness. Could it be -- and this thought was truly amazing to Prim -- that Katniss was attracted to his intellect?

Prim recalled the previous evening, when she had found Peeta and Katniss together in the library. They had been deep in conversation. There was a small pile of books laid next to Katniss's feet. Prim had little interest in inquiring what those books were, but now she realized Peeta had probably recommended them, and Katniss had probably taken the books with her up to her room, and had begun reading them that very night.

Then, Prim's mind went back even further, to the time when she and Peeta were growing up. He had always been protective of her, and she was convinced there could be no better brother than he in all the world. She blamed Lady Anne for his dissolute ways; he had never been like that before, not until Anne had broken his heart. For a while she was quite despairing that he would ever find happiness. Even now, she worried about him.

Prim made a quiet resolution, one she would share with no one, not even with her own dear husband, Lord Plutarch.


	11. DINNER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heated glances across a dining room table -- and the return of shy Katniss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still walking that fine line between romantic and satirical.

The day passed swiftly. Much too swiftly, for Peeta's liking. Before he was aware, it was time to dress for dinner. His sister believed firmly in maintaining the proper social niceties, and Peeta knew better than to quarrel with her over this.

He and Katniss parted ways at the main staircase, he to ascend to his suite in the West Wing of the mansion, she to the East. She did not say this to Peeta, but she had nothing to change into. She had but two "formal" dresses, one of which she had decided to wear that morning. It was a white muslin, with lace over the chest and a high collar. It had been her grandmother's, and the style was old-fashioned (The current fashion was for the ladies to bare their bosoms to the utmost: empire gowns cinched just below the breasts), but she loved the lace.

After she was alone in her room, she chided herself for her vanity. Now she must go down for dinner wearing the same dress. What would Peeta think? He might even pity her. Lady Primrose would find her uncouth . . . oh! Thoughts crowded into Katniss's brain. With nothing else to do to pass the time, she decided to read a few more pages of _**Gulliver's Travels**_. And scarcely had she begun to read than she forgot everything: Peeta, Lady Primrose, the rose garden, Lady Anne, even her whereabouts.

The room began to grow dark; still she sat and read. She only interrupted her reading when there was a rap on her door.

"Who is it?" Katniss said, not lifting her head.

"The Lady Primrose sent me to inquire if you would be joining her and Master Peeta for dinner, Miss," the maid said.

Immediately, Katniss put down her book. She realized that outside dusk had fallen. She rose at once and went to the door. "I will come down now," she told the servant. The maid led the way to the main dining room.

* * * *

Lady Primrose, Lord Plutarch, and Peeta were already seated when Katniss arrived. She was profuse in her apologies. Perhaps fatigue was finally assailing her, for she found it difficult to look at Peeta -- his face had such an intensity of expression. There was something in his blue eyes that told her many things. But these were not things it was her place to accept. She withdrew her gaze and chose instead to focus on Lady Primrose, who was smiling encouragingly at her.

She approached the table. Peeta immediately stood and pulled out a chair next to him. She hesitated a fraction of a moment, then seated herself. There was a brief silence. In the center of the table was a roast. The smell of it was heavenly and made Katniss feel quite faint. At the boarding house, the Sisters of Charity were frugal and rarely served meat. She had not had roast like this in a while, and Katniss realized she was hungry. Starving, even.

Lord Plutarch inquried whether Katniss wished to have wine with her meal; she shook her head. At this, Peeta made a small sound, which caused Katniss to glance up. Fatal mistake! Peeta was again staring at her, with that stormy look in his eyes.

"I do not drink," she said, carefully. The Sisters of Charity never served wine. At her grandmother's, they had wine only when someone gifted it to them, usually during the holidays.

"Good heavens!" Lord Plutarch said, looking astonished. "What a sad life you must lead, if you cannot indulge in at least one glass at dinnertime."

Katniss hesitated. Something inside her gave way. "I -- I could have a glass, I suppose," she said, blushing furiously. Lord Plutarch gave a satisfied grunt and called to a servant: "Pour the lady a glass."

When the wine had been poured, Katniss reached for her glass and gave a small sip. Instantly, heat rose from her mouth to her cheeks. She had never experienced anything like it. The liquid burned as it coarsed down her throat.

"Dear! That was quite a big gulp. Are -- are you all right?" Lady Primrose said.

Katniss's eyes were burning. She did not trust her voice, so instead she nodded quickly.

"Shall I cut you a slice of the roast?" Peeta asked.

Without looking at him, she nodded.

"And do you want potatoes with it?" he continued.

Again, she nodded.

He filled her plate and silently passed it back to her.

"And some green beans?" Lady Primrose asked.

Katniss nodded and a servant came and doled out a generous helping of beans on her place.

"And what about parnsips?" Lady Primrose inquired.

Katniss's head was spinning, but she kept nodding. The wine was making her thoughts slow. It was not a bad feeling.

Everyone ate in silence. Katniss heard every sound Peeta's cutlery made as he sliced his food. He was sitting next to her, but she did not dare raise her eyes. She could feel that he was looking at her. Drinking her in, almost. Surprisingly, she was not offended. She only wished she had more generous physical attributes. Attributes like those of Lady Anne, who Katniss thought was the most beautiful woman she had ever beheld.

After dinner, they retired to the parlor. This was a smaller room, more intimate. The seats were closer together. Peeta was glad; he took the opportunity of sitting next to Katniss. He reached for the book she had on her lap. Prim said, “You will read to us from that book you described this morning? The one about the giants?”

“I shall read,” Peeta said. He opened the book; the part where Katniss had left off was marked by a frayed yellow ribbon. He lifted it reverently, knowing she had touched it but recently.

Peeta had barely read two pages, however, when his sister yawned widely. "Oh!" she said, blushing slightly. "I did not mean to be so rude!"

Peeta closed the book thankfully; he much preferred conversing with Katniss than reading aloud. But when he glanced at Katniss, there was a look of keen disappointment on her face.

"I can continue reading, if you would like," Peeta said softly.

At that moment, they became aware of loud snores coming from the direction of a large wing chair. It seemed Lord Plutarch was fast asleep.


	12. PEETA HEADS TO LONDON

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta made a promise to Lady Anne, and he never breaks his promises.
> 
> Before meeting with Lady Anne, however, Peeta goes over his conversations with Katniss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reminder: this is satire, so please don't kill me.
> 
> Peeta is a rake. Which means -- there might be some pretty ehem physically intimate scenes with Lady Anne before he can get with Katniss.
> 
> But just imagine how delicious the reversal will be, when it finally happens!

The sun shone straight into Peeta's eyes the next morning, and he gave a heavy groan. Today was the day he would have to depart from his sister's estate, depart from Katniss, and head to London.

Lady Primrose had arranged for him to be taken to London in her carriage; it was just as well, for Peeta had not slept well the night before. His thoughts were full of his conversations with Katniss; her words were like a balm to his soul. She had finished _**Gulliver's Travels**_ in one night -- never had he encountered a lady who could read at such blazing speed. Not only that, they discoursed at length over the intent of the author -- why put Lemuel Gulliver with Lilliputians, and then with giants? Why was Gulliver always leaving his family, Katniss asked. Did he not like them? Oh, Peeta said to Katniss, he liked his family well enough, it was just that he liked exploring more. At which, Katniss had grown quiet and simply nodded.

Never had any woman taken such a firm hold of his feelings. Peeta had never before questioned his attachment to Lady Anne. In his early youth, he had always assumed he and Lady Anne would be wed. When she had married Lord Finnick, he had vowed never to marry, instead embarking on a string of superficial and transitory relationships. This was easy to do on the Continent, where women seemed more available to Peeta, as a young Englishman of obvious breeding. When he was persuaded to return to London, by the constant pleadings of his sister, he had never expected to meet with Lady Anne again. Certainly he had never expected to bed her. But she had seemed more than willing; perhaps, she intimated, marrying Lord Finnick was a mistake. Could Peeta forgive her? Of course he could forgive her. For the next year, he and Lady Anne had been nigh inseparable. Until a few days earlier.

Peeta had taken the opportunity to inquire as to Katniss's parents: were they still living? He suspected the answer even before she gave it: her mother had died when Katniss was very young; in fact, Katniss hardly remembered her. As for her father, he had disappeared somewhere in India. Katniss had never known him.

Peeta felt his heart pierced with sadness for this gentle, yet strong young woman. She was truly alone in the world, after the death of her grandmother. She had said a little about how she used to make a living: as governess for this and that household. But the work did not suit her, she said. Peeta recognized the names of her employers. He could not help frowning; he rather guessed at what about the households did not suit her. He was glad she had not felt compelled to stay at those jobs. It would have been unbearable for her, a woman of such spirit!

Peeta dressed, had breakfast with his sister and Katniss, and then took himself off. He tried to nap in the carriage, but he could not. He was exceedingly restless. The closer he got to London, the more unhappy he became. He imagined Lady Anne, waiting for him. And the rest of her friends. He did not like the way they tittered, every time he appeared. When he called for Anne, or when they took promenades around St. James or Regent's Park, it sometimes happened that the Duchess Clove was there. Peeta knew well the Duchess's reputation for intrigue. He did not trust her, and wished that she were not such a good friend of Anne's. But the two were almost inseparable.

The carriage pulled up at Peeta's London apartment. The servant brought his luggage down, and then, as Peeta readied himself to meet Lady Anne at the ball, he found himself going over every utterance of Katniss's, and thinking how much he longed to be back there in the country with her.

Before leaving his sister's estate, he had asked if Katniss would deign to take one last walk with him around the rose garden. Katniss had glanced quickly at Prim, as if seeking permission. Prim had smiled and nodded, and a part of Peeta seemed to take flight. In that small smile from his sister, he knew she was encouraging his friendship with Katniss.

Prim had never uttered a single word against Lady Anne, but she did not have to. Peeta saw what a vast difference there was between his sister and Anne, it was as if they came from two different universes. But she was loyal to Peeta, loyal to the last. She sincerely wanted him to be happy, and if being happy meant being with Anne, she would make no protest.

Peeta did see, however, that Prim took every opportunity to avoid the being in the same room as Lady Anne. This was not difficult, as she and Lady Anne belonged to completely different circles. She had felt obligated, however, to invite Lady Anne to the ball she was hosting. This was purely in deference to Peeta's feelings. But Lady Anne had behaved atrociously, hitting a young woman who had done her no harm. Peeta knew that Prim would not be inviting her to any more balls, certainly not.

Lady Anne had surprised them by her visit, and Prim had immediately declared she was leaving. She had not mentioned Lady Anne again.


	13. CONFRONTATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At Duchess Clove's ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peeta's in a real pickle! The good news is: he's leaving the ball and returning to the country!

Duchess Clove had outdone herself. The ballroom was crowded with greenery, in replication of a forest. Real birds sang on the branches of make-believe trees.

"Isn't it fabulous?" Anne breathed, against Peeta's mouth. She was a vision: small white flowers wreathed her rich, auburn hair, which was piled on top of her head in the season's latest style. Her gown was a deep purple. Around her neck dangled a single black pearl. Hardly had she seen Peeta when she pulled him towards the conservatory. Peeta followed reluctantly.

"Oh, my darling," she said, as she wounder her slender arms around Peeta's neck. "My room is near the top of the stairs. Would you like to see it?" She wound her fingers in his hair. "I have thought of nothing else but you since our last parting."

Peeta swallowed.

"I'm not expected back at my estate. I told them I was spending the season in London," Anne said, then giggled, as if impressed by her own foresight.

Peeta looked intently at her. Was she serious -- ? The season meant three months.

"A whole season?" Peeta said, finally finding his voice.

"Yes," Anne said. "Isn't it wonderful? It is simply too dull in the country!"

"I can't stay in London for a whole season," Peeta said.

"Fie, fie," Anne said, trailing kisses on his neck. "Don't be a dolt."

Peeta pulled back. "I must attend to my estate. I've neglected it for far too long. My mother is frail, I would like to spend as much time with her as I can."

Anne suddenly pulled back. She was furious; Peeta could feel her anger in every nerve.

"Don't," she hissed, "pretend to me that this is anything other than that -- that -- "

"Anne," Peeta warned.

She stepped back. "I know what this is. Do you think I can't see through your lies? You've made her your mistress. And now you are casting me aside."

"I never even touched her," Peeta said, hotly.

"Oh," Anne said, "so you do know who I'm talking about. I know she's a guest at your sister's. Do not bother to deny it. The maid told me." She shook with fury. "How dare your sister invite that -- _conniving hussy_ \-- into her house. Has she no thought?"

Peeta straightened. "Do not dare to impute anything against my sister."

"I do impute!" Lady Anne shrieked. "She is a liar as well as a thief."

"Now you have gone too far," Peeta gritted out. His blue eyes were icy. "If there is one woman in the world who exemplifies goodness, and kindness, and -- patience -- it is my sister. She does not have an ounce of meanness in her body. Not an ounce!"

Anne reared back as if she had been slapped. A bitter smile appeared on her lips. "Ah! I see, the woman has you fully ensnared in her coils. And by this I do not mean Lady Primrose. I mean that whore she entertains as a guest."

"Do not call Katniss a whore! She is none of that!"

"Well, what else should I call her? She has lured you away from me!"

"She is pure, and -- " Peeta made a gesture of frustration. "Enough. I shall not remain any longer in London. I shall return to my sister's, this very night."

"And I shall have your name and the name of your precious sister besmirched all over London! You and she together have conspired to ruin me!"

Peeta had begun walking away, but now he stopped and faced Lady Anne. "You have no cause to say either I or my sister have abused you. I loved you. I loved you and that was my great failing. You toyed with my heart, broke me. And now you wish to keep me forever by your side, even at the cost of my own dignity, and you malign the person I love most in all the world, my sister. Do not pursue me. When I am at my sister's, I will give her a full account of our conversation. She will never have you back at her home. And you will be banned as well from mine."

"Very well then," Lady Anne said, her lip curling with scorn. "Go, be with your -- _African_ \-- mistress. Have her with child -- for make no mistake, it is what she wants -- and then, when the true nature of her avariciousness is revealed, do not think I will welcome you back! Oh no. You have made your bed, and you will lie in it. And you will regret this for the rest of your life."

Peeta did not bother responding. He hurried through the ballroom, not caring how many people were staring at him. The Duchess Clove tried to cut him off, even going so far as to put a hand on his arm, but he shook her off.

"Peeta! The ball has only just begun! Where is Lady Anne?" Duchess Clove said.

"She is in the conservatory," Peeta said. "I must be off. Family matters require my urgent attendance." Before the Duchess could utter a word, he was outside, calling for his carriage. As soon as it arrived, Peeta leaped inside. "To Kensington," he instructed the driver, for he wanted to retrieve his things. And then he would ask to be conveyed to his sister's estate. It would be a very long time before he returned to London. He was glad for it. He could forego gay apparel, magnificent houses, and elegant furniture. He wanted none of that any longer.

"They know nothing about me," Peeta said aloud, in the darkness of the carriage. "Nothing."

In the meantime, Duchess Clove had hurried to the conservatory. She found Lady Anne crumpled on the ground, sobbing.

"My dear!" Duchess Clove exclaimed, gazing at her friend in wide alarm. "What is the meaning of this? What has happened to you?"

Lady Anne lifted her tear-stained face and screamed, "He has murdered me! Peeta has murdered me!"

*     *     *     *

The carriage pulled up at Lady Primrose's estate a little after midnight. Peeta stumbled out, exhausted. The sleepy servants who had been roused by his knocking stared at him with mouths agape.

"Would you like some victuals brought to your room, sir?" the maid asked.

"That will not be necessary," Peeta said. He paused. "Umm -- is Lady Katniss still here?"

 


	14. BREAKFAST

Peeta was up early, for the second day in a row. His mind was full of the tumultuous events of the previous day. He scarcely believed he had been able to walk away from Lady Anne, a woman he had loved for most of his life. But he refused to waste time in regrets. She had insulted his sister, and Katniss, and in doing so, she had insulted him as well.

A man may forgive insults to his character, but he is a trifle less sanguine when the insults are aimed at his family.

He groaned, for he knew Prim would be awaiting an explanation for his sudden return. Not only that, he had been imprudent in asking about Katniss. Now the servants, who had known about his tryst with Lady Anne in the drawing room, would almost surely be gossiping about the precipitate manner of his return. He may have been a trifle wild-looking as he banged on the heavy front door and bellowed for a servant. He hoped it had not awoken his sister. He hoped it had not awoken Katniss.

He dressed hastily and looked at himself in the mirror.

He heard a soft rap on the door.

"Yes?" he growled.

He heard the maid's soft, hesitant voice. "My Lady seeks to know if you are planning to join her and Lady Katniss for breakfast."

"I shall join them," Peeta said.

"She also said, if you would prefer to sleep in -- "

"I shall be down in a trice," Peeta said.

"Yes, sir."

Peeta splashed water on his face, then attempted to tame his unruly curls. With one last, hesitant glance at himself in the mirror, he descended the stairs.

When he entered the breakfast room, Prim and Katniss were conversing in soft tones. He gazed intently at Katniss and noticed, with surprise, that there were shadows under her eyes. Was she, too, having trouble sleeping?

He flashed his most winning smile as he approached the women.

Prim glanced up. "Peeta!" she said, in a slightly reproving tone. "The servants said you had arrived last night. I could scarcely believe it. I thought you had planned to be several nights in London?"

"I attended a ball," Peeta said, taking a seat next to Katniss. "When the ball was over, I judged my duties at an end and saw no reason to tarry further."

Prim's eyebrows rose, but she said nothing.

"And," Peeta said, taking a deep breath and turning toward Katniss, "I have just thought about another book I think you might enjoy reading."

Katniss lowered her eyes. "You are too kind, sir."

"Indeed not. It is you who are kind."

There was silence around the table.

*     *     *     *

"Are you happy here, Katniss?" Peeta asked. They were taking another walk around the rose garden.

"By 'here' you mean, as a guest of your sister?"

"Yes."

"She is most kind. Both of you are. I am grateful."

"That was not my question. I ask because -- I wondered if you would consider -- staying a little longer."

Katniss's breath caught in her throat. She was afraid to look too long at Peeta's face, there was such frank admiration in his eyes. Her heart began to beat uncommonly fast.

She was saved from having to answer by Prim's urgent voice, calling to Peeta.

"What is it?" he asked, turning his head.

Prim was almost running down the path. In her right hand, she waved a letter.

"This has just come. Oh, Peeta," Prim said, her voice full of worry.

"Who is it from?" Peeta asked.

Prim stammered, in a broken voice, "It is from Lord Finnick."

Katniss glanced quickly at Peeta; he had grown very pale. Prim ran up to Peeta and clutched his arm. "You must come along quickly; a footman is awaiting your response."

With trembling fingers, Peeta accepted the letter from Prim and opened it. He rapidly scanned its contents. Then, softly, as if he were speaking to himself, he said, "I should have expected this."

"Peeta, what is it?" Prim cried.

"A duel," Peeta said. "I am challenged to a duel."

"Oh my God!" Prim shrieked, throwing her arms about her brother.

Katniss looked from Peeta to Prim and wrung her hands. She could not speak, could not think.

Prim was sobbing now. "Surely -- you are not going to accept the challenge? You do not need to! Perhaps I could go to Lord Finnick and intercede on your behalf?"

Peeta lifted a hand and stroked his sister's hair. "I must accept," he said. "Of course I must accept."

"No, no, no, no," Prim cried. "You do not have to accept. I will not allow it. This is madness." She snatched the letter from Peeta's hand and began tearing it into little pieces.

Peeta put a large hand over one of his sister's. "No, dear sister," he said, speaking very slowly, "there is nothing for it. I must accept the challenge. It is a matter of honor."

He gently disentangled Prim's arms and began walking towards the house.

"What can we do?" Katniss asked Prim.

Prim wiped the tears from her cheeks. She grabbed Katniss's hands. "Pray."

"Should I leave?" Katniss asked. "I do not wish to impose at such a time."

"No," Prim said, shaking her head. "I need you. You must stay."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The time has come for Peeta to face the music.


	15. GOSSIP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some backstory about why Finnick decided to come home. Also, a conversation between Katniss and Peeta, where they further their deepening friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having so much fun writing this, and also reading your comments. Thank you!
> 
> Things are heating up, and of course: gossip rules!
> 
> I reviewed the earlier chapters (something I haven't done in a week) and discovered that Peeta's father was no longer living. So I had to change this chapter, the sections that referred to his parents. Changed them all to "his mother." Plus, Peeta, as the only son, inherited his father's title (His father was an earl. I'm not sure what the son of an earl is)

Gossip spread like wildfire through the drawing rooms of London. There were those who sympathized with Peeta, and those who sympathized with his sister, Lady Primrose. But by far the greater number took the part of Lord Finnick, Duke of Odington, not simply because he was the husband, but because he was a close friend of the Prince of Wales. A fact which Peeta should probably have taken into account when he made Lady Anne his paramour.

Lord Finnick, it seems, had long had plans of returning, but had been hurried along in his intention by a letter he received from his dear aunt Lady Lavinia, who hinted at the affair between Peeta and Lady Anne. Finnick had been distraught, naturally, and contemplated divorcing Lady Anne forthwith. But after a heart-to-heart talk with a Buddhist monk he had studied under in Dharamsala, he had decided to return to England to see for himself what was about.

Lady Clove, Duchess of Badlesmere, was in high dudgeon and told stories (which of course spread far and wide) of how insatiable Peeta had been, how determined he was to have Lady Anne in his bed, how wickedly he had pursued her and how Lady Anne, worn out by Peeta's constant and demanding presence, had finally succumbed. And then reason flew out the window, all because of Peeta's many physical attributes. "It is only through the grace of God that Lady Anne did not find herself with child," Lady Clove said, in a tone of utmost piety, crossing herself.

Bawdy tales were told of Peeta and Lady Anne's bedroom antics; it seemed the common folk were just as entertained by the story as everyone else. The good Lady Anne herself was now seen every morning at mass in some cathedral or other. Lord Finnick had taken separate quarters from her, and was installed on Hampstead Heath. It was said that he was suffering, too, for he dearly loved his wife. Once the duel was over, everyone expected him to forgive Lady Anne, and resume his husbandly duties, just as he had done before.

Peeta stayed in the country, at his sister's. In spite of his best efforts, news eventually trickled to his mother (His father had passed away some years before, which was how Peeta had inherited his title of Earl), and then it was with great chagrin that Peeta confessed all. His mother forgave him, because that is what mothers do. Besides, she knew her son. She had seen him falling more and more in love with Lady Anne, with each succeeding year. His mother knew he had gone to the Continent and taken up dalliances with various women. In her heart, she did not even fault him for making Lady Anne his lover. Though she deplored the character of Lady Anne. Despite Lady Anne's outward sweetness, it was she who had pursued Peeta, using (as his mother privately thought) "the wiles of a tigress." Lady Anne had been so determined that not even her married state had dissuaded her.

Peeta, as the only living son, inherited all his parents' estate. It was a modest estate, much reduced in the last 10 years due to the taxes King George was constantly applying to the property of landed nobility. But it was still a prize. If Lady Anne divorced Lord Finnick (assuming Peeta did not kill him and he survived the duel), her wealth and Peeta's combined would make for a very comfortable living. It would support townhouses in Bath as well as in London, perhaps even a country estate in Scotland or Wales.

Lady Anne did have her detractors, however. These were mostly from Lady Primrose's circle, people like Lady Madge, Countess of Dover, whose husband was a very good friend to Peeta. And Lord Cinna, Duke of Cornwall, who was Peeta's cousin. And of course the Heavensbees, for Lord Plutarch and Lady Primrose were united on all things, and in fact Lord Plutarch had consented to be Peeta's second. That is, he had consented to accompany Peeta to the place designated -- The Prince of Wales Garden in Regent's Park -- on the morning designated -- Saturday, the 10th of March -- and to collect his body or whatever was left of him after and convey it to either the morgue or the hospital.

As for Katniss, she consented to remain with Lady Primrose. She was heartsick for her friend, and wished with all her heart that Peeta had gone away: fled to the Continent, sailed for America -- anything, so that his family could sleep easily at night, knowing he was safe.

Katniss joined Lady Primrose in praying for Peeta's well-being, for despite all, she knew Peeta had been trying to divest himself of the relationship with Lady Anne. She knew he had been wicked, but forgiveness was in her heart. For no one who was so loved by Lady Primrose could be entirely wicked. No one who loved to discourse on books with her could be so entirely wicked.

Such was how matters stood over the next few weeks.

*     *     *     *

One morning, a few days before the duel, Katniss took herself to the pergola, the one she had seen on her first day at Lady Prim's. It afforded some privacy from the house, and much as Katniss had grown to like her host, she was in great need of solitude, if simply to calm her racing thoughts. Often, in her bed at night, she had wept softly into her pillow, thinking of Peeta and wondering what was to become of him. When she saw him, he was always pre-occupied and haggard. She longed to say words of comfort, but was afraid. She kept her thoughts to herself.

Great was her surprise then, upon reaching the pergola, when she caught sight of Peeta himself, sitting on one of the stone benches that lined the circular space. She was about to beat a hasty retreat when he turned his head and saw her. She blushed furiously and apologized.

Peeta stood immediately and held out a hand. "Come," he said. "I am always glad of your company."

Katniss hesitated, but decided it would be rude not to take his hand. Slowly, she slipped her hand into his. Then passed such a jolt of awareness between her and Peeta that both were quite startled and raised their eyes toward each other, in amazement and delight.

For a few moments, they sat in silence, Katniss wondering when he would release her hand. Instead of letting go, however, he brought his other hand up and enclosed her small one in both of his. He looked wretched and downcast. Her heart ached for him.

"I have lost it all, Katniss," he said softly. "But you are still my friend, are you not? Please say you do not despise me."

Katniss did not know where she found the courage, but she said, in the firmest voice she was capable of: "You have not lost it all, Peeta. I believe in you. Your sister believes in you."

She was repaid by a smile that transformed his face utterly.

"You will be able to live again after this, Peeta. I do not doubt it," Katniss said. "There is -- there is so much more to you than London society." Here, Peeta's expression became so heated and ardent that she at once stopped talking. She tried to remove her hand from his. "No," he said softly, gripping it tighter. After sitting there for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a few minutes, Katniss said, "I must go. Your sister may be looking for me." Only then did Peeta, very reluctantly, release her hand. His face fell again into a look of despondence. Katniss offered, "We can meet here again tomorrow, if you would like." His face brightened. "Yes, thank you, Katniss. Indeed, I would like that very much."

Katniss walked away from the pergola, her heart beating rather fast. She did not know whether it was the right thing to have done, to have been so free in offering her friendship to Peeta. The Sisters of Charity, had they known, would have scolded her roundly. But something, some intuition, told her that Peeta would not take advantage of her friendship.

"He is a gentleman, despite what others say," she thought.

And so Katniss met Peeta at the pergola the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that one. And they talked about books and everything under the sun, except about the coming duel. Prim watched them silently from afar, scarcely daring to hope that the friendship would continue and, with time (if the duel did not kill Peeta) develop into love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're still enjoying this little experiment of mine in writing "period." I guess I'm channeling Jane Austen.


	16. THE MORNING OF

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss makes a decision, Prim and Lord Plutarch have their first disagreement, and Lord Plutarch makes some interesting observations in the carriage on the way to Regent's Park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that the original site I gave for the duel (in Regent's Park) was Primrose Hill. Which is an actual hill. I decided to change it, though, so I don't have to keep saying 'Primrose Hill.' Prim's suffered enough.
> 
> The new site I picked for the duel is Queen Mary's Garden, also in Regent's Park. (Whoops, found out the garden was only opened to the public in 1932! I give up. I'll just say, the Prince of Wales Garden, which is something I made up)
> 
> I have been researching duels and found out that no duels were to take place on a Sunday. So I'm correcting the information from the previous chapter, in which I gave the date for the duel as Sunday, March 19. Now it's taking place Saturday, March 25.

It was the morning of the duel; Katniss had hardly slept. She got herself dressed and ready even before first light. She imagined no one in the house -- not Peeta nor Prim nor even Lord Plutarch -- had slept easily, if at all.

She descended the main staircase; the house was quiet as a tomb. It had been in her mind that she would go in the carriage, with Lord Plutarch and Peeta. She could not bear to remain at home, waiting with faint heart for the news. She must know what the outcome was, immediately as it occurred, whatever the consequences. She had not bothered to divulge her plan to either Prim or Lord Plutarch. And of course she had not told Peeta. He would have been dismayed.

But she was of sterner stuff than he realized. That, and she wished him to take heart. A man so despondent would hardly feel the strength to raise his pistol; so deeply did he feel the wound of his disgrace. But she wished him to try, to fight. No, she was going in the carriage; not even Prim could dissuade her.

She was near the bottom of the staircase, and looking around rather furtively, when she observed a slight figure by the front entrance. The figure raised its head: Katniss saw that it was Lady Primrose. Quietly, Katniss walked up to her and took her hand. They waited.

*     *     *     *

Dawn was just breaking through the windows when Peeta came down the stairs. Katniss saw he was pale.

Prim did not move; Peeta nodded at both women and seemed about to pass them. Katniss let go of Prim's hand and grabbed Peeta's. "Don't be afraid, Peeta," she whispered.

"Peeta," Prim said, shortly thereafter.

"My dearest sister," Peeta said, turning to Prim. They embraced. "My deepest gratitude for all you have done for me."

Then Lord Plutarch descended the staircase. He stopped when he saw the little group by the front entrance. "Fortune will favor us today," he said to Prim. Then he glanced at Peeta, who was calmly awaiting him. "Well, my boy, are you ready?"

Peeta nodded.

"I daresay, brother," Lord Plutarch said, "this will be the match of your life."

A shadow seemed to pass over Peeta's features.

"There, there," Lord Plutarch said, "be not so downcast. For something tells me you will live past it. I have had judicious proof of your aim, having seen you in enough hunts. It will not be the first duel London has seen this year, nor will it be the last. I wished there were opportunity to beg terms from Lord Finnick, but he would not hear it. It is three hours to London; perhaps there is yet time." He pulled on his gloves. "Shall we embark?"

"I shall come with you," Prim said.

"Wife," Lord Plutarch said, astonishment causing both eyebrows to rise almost to the top of his forehead, "A duel is no place for a woman."

"My Lord," Prim cried, her voice brimming with outrage, "It is no place for my brother, either, but fair or no he is presenting himself to Lord Finnick. Katniss and I shall follow in my carriage." Prim's eyes filled with tears. "If it is to be my brother's last day, neither heaven nor earth can deny me."

Lord Plutarch gave his wife a most withering look, but did not deign to reply. "Come along, Peeta," he said, and walked smartly through the front door without looking behind him to see who would follow.

Lady Primrose turned to Katniss and said, in a low voice, "My carriage is ready; I gave instructions last night. Do you still wish to come?" Katniss nodded and the two women hurried after Peeta and Lord Plutarch.

*     *     *     *

When they were alone in the carriage (the two women following in a separate carriage behind), Lord Plutarch leaned back in his seat with a heavy sigh. "This is a deplorable business," he said. "Utterly deplorable."

Peeta said nothing.

"Your sister deserves more than to be mixed up in such foolishness. I try to shield her but it is hopeless. Your affairs have caused her no end of grief."

Peeta said, in a voice like acid, "If I live through this day I swear to take myself from her sight."

"What did you just say? Have you gone mad? Take yourself from her sight -- as if your sister would ever allow it." Lord Plutarch looked testily out the window. "You shall make it up to her, Peeta. I shall see to it. Now, as to the lady -- "

"What lady?" Peeta said at once.

"Katniss, of course. Who other lady would I be referring to?" While Peeta stared, too stunned to reply, Lord Plutarch continued: "Oh, do not even try to deny it, my boy. Your feelings for her are as plain as the nose on your face. Which, I would venture, is the reason Lady Anne has sunk to this point of vileness. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. At least I know my Congreve."

They spoke no further until they had reached their destination.

It had turned out to be a beautiful day. A true English spring day. Drifts of yellow daffodils had appeared, all over the park. The sun was out, the air was crisp. It was excellent weather for a duel.

As Peeta and Lord Plutarch descended a low rise, they caught sight of Lord Finnick and his second, standing next to a heavy black carriage. From that point on, Peeta seemed scarcely aware of his feet, pulling him forward. Peeta was thinking that he would rather not die that day. There were many things he regretted, but his biggest regret was having wasted his time with the woman he imagined was sitting in that black carriage, hidden from view: Lady Anne.

Now Lord Finnick had seen him. Peeta marveled at how, in the morning light, the husband of Lady Anne was astonishingly beautiful. The sun, striking from a low angle, made his copper hair seem afire. And his green eyes were intense and penetrating. Yes, Peeta had been jealous of him. And he had striven very hard to prove himself better, at least in Lady Anne's eyes. What a fool he had been!

"Wait here," Lord Plutarch said to Peeta. "I will inquire as to whether there has been a re-consideration of terms. After all, no one wants to see two young men shoot each other. I least of all. Your sister will never forgive me."

Peeta watched as Lord Plutarch and Lord Finnick's second met. They immediately began a clipped discussion.

Peeta found himself hoping against hope -- _might he live, after all?_ \-- but after several minutes, the seconds parted. Lord Plutarch caught Peeta's gaze and gave him a small shake of the head.

Peeta detected movement from the corner of his eye. He turned his head towards the black carriage. The window curtains were now slightly parted. He thought he saw a slender, white hand holding them back. He pursed his lips in anger. _Did his life really mean so little to her?_

He heard his name called and turned once more. To his right, directly opposite the black carriage, two women were standing. _  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Peeta live? Will he die? Will he be wounded? Will he lose his leg? (I think the only way this will happen is if Finnick aims low. Which he probably won't) I think he's suffered enough, but some of you may disagree.
> 
> The quote "Hell hath no fury like . . . " is from William Congreve, not Shakespeare as I initially wrote. Apologies!
> 
> In my research on duels (!) I found out that famous Russian writer Alexander Pushkin survived 28 duels. 28!!! He lost a duel, finally. Maybe Pushkin had a death wish?


	17. THE ACT ITSELF

"Barbaric business," Lord Plutarch said, coming back to Peeta. "How I wish your dear mother were not alive to suffer through this."

Peeta had a sudden thought: "Could we offer to pay whatever Lord Finnick stipulates, is that not preferable?"

Lord Plutarch threw Peeta a sharp look. "I have already made such an offer. The counter-offer involved a sum so large it would absolutely bankrupt you."

Peeta shook. "My estate -- "

"Yes, your estate would become Lord Finnick's."

Peeta pressed a fist against his mouth. He was in terrible distress. Suddenly, he decided. "Then, let us proceed," he said. Lord Plutarch signaled Lord Finnick's second.

"I shall miss," Peeta said. "It is abhorrent to me. He is the wronged party."

"Boy!" Lord Plutarch exclaimed. "You will hit him. Your sister would not survive if you did not."

"I cannot," Peeta insisted. "I will not take a life. Let mine be taken. So the sin shall be expiated."

Lord Plutarch gripped Peeta hard by the shoulders. "You shall hit him. And, if necessary, kill him. Do you understand? Your sister would drop dead if you were killed."

Peeta was silent. Lord Plutarch signaled him once again to remain while he and Lord Finnick's second examined the pistols. Peeta turned his back.

"Peeta!" Lord Plutarch called.

Peeta turned.

"There has been a reprieve."

Peeta stood absolutely still, scarcely believing his ears.

"It seems Lady Anne has begged for mercy. Lord Finnick is considering it."

"I shall not accept any pardon coming from _her_. I do not wish to owe _her_ anything."

"I have already accepted on your behalf, boy. Come, the lady wishes to have a word."

"I refuse. Let us have the duel."

Lord Plutarch heaved a sigh of great exasperation and seemed on the point of tugging his wig off. "She has interceded with her husband on your behalf. It would be the height of rudeness not to speak to her."

Still Peeta shook his head. "I would rather we simply got on with it," he said.

Peeta and Lord Plutarch argued back and forth for a few more moments. Suddenly, the door of the carriage was flung open, and Lady Anne emerged. She was dressed head to foot in deep mourning. A veil obscured her features. But Peeta knew it was she.

"Prithee, do _not_ approach," Peeta warned her.

Before Lady Anne could take another step -- because indeed it _was_ Lady Anne, and she _was_ indeed intending to take a step, for that matter several steps (Peeta could read Lady Anne's mind all too well) -- a high-pitched woman's voice said, with extreme clarity and precision: "Black-souled witch! Do not _dare_ take a single step toward my brother." Lady Primrose now came marching up, with thunder in her countenance.

"My dear wife!" Lord Plutarch sputtered. "This is highly irregular! You cannot be interfering in men's business!"

"Bloody hell!" Lady Primrose said, with both hands on her hips. " _She's_ here, isn't she?" Her attention turned to Peeta. "Dearest brother, why are you still standing there? Let us be off!" For Peeta had remained rooted to the spot, overwhelmed by an intensity of conflicting emotions: shock, relief, chagrin, anger.

Lady Primrose reached for her brother's hand. "Come along, now, Peeta," she said gently. "For the sooner we quit this accursed place, the better."

For her part, Lady Anne stood but a few feet away, every particle of her body vibrating with absolute fury. That she could be outdone by this silly chit of a girl, Peeta's sister, a _younger_ sister at that, had never occurred to her.

Lady Prim turned her head and exchanged a glance with Lord Finnick, who had apparently decided that the show was too entertaining to interrupt. There was a sardonic smile on his face as he observed Lady Primrose. "Lord Finnick," Lady Prim said, deigning to tilt her head in passing deference, "my sympathies on your marriage. Pray keep your wife and make sure she is well supervised; if she shows her face near myself or my brother, I will not be held responsible for any injuries she may receive." And with that, she smartly marched Peeta towards her carriage, where Katniss had wisely chosen to wait, not wishing to complicate matters any further.

It was at this precise juncture, however, just when Lady Prim thought she had gotten her brother away entirely, that Lady Anne recovered her haughty sense of grandeur.

"Lady Primrose!" came her icy voice. "Lady Primrose!"

Prim halted and turned, slowly.

"I believe your brother owes me his life. Until he acknowledges his debt to me, he cannot leave. It is simply the way these things go. I am sorry no one has acquainted you with the proper mode of conduct at duels. It is essential that I hear words from your brother himself."

Prim's face turned red, but she decided that, as matters stood, it would be best not to respond. She turned back to her carriage, keeping a firm grip on Peeta, who looked as if he might be thinking of addressing Lady Anne.

"Be quiet, Peeta," Prim urged. They had by this time reached the carriage. Peeta had been about to say something, but at this moment, Katniss flung wide the carriage door to welcome him in. And as soon as Peeta saw her kind, concerned face, all thoughts of what he wished to say to Lady Anne were cast out of his head, and he quietly entered the carriage.

Lady Prim turned to her footman. "Home, with all speed."

"Peeta," Katniss said, as soon as he was safely ensconced between herself and Lady Prim.

That one word was his undoing. He rested his head against Katniss's shoulder, feeling almost inclined to weep.

"Hush," Katniss said, touching his cheek with uncommon tenderness. "You are safe now."

Lady Primrose watched them for a little while, then said: "Brother, what will you do? I am afraid you will find country living very dull. You may wish to travel . . . "

Peeta raised his head. "I do not wish to travel. I shall learn how to run the estate. And spend as much time as I can with you and Plutarch and -- and Katniss . . . "

 


	18. AFTER-EFFECTS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lady Anne, while assuming the cloak of piety, thirsts for revenge against not only Peeta, but his sister and Katniss.
> 
> Meanwhile, Peeta takes control of his own life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is only one way to do Lady Anne, and that is to rely on satire.

Lady Anne was beside herself with rage. Not only had Lady Primrose intervened and taken Peeta off before he'd had the chance to grovel in front of her, but she had caught a glimpse of "the dusky maiden" (as she still referred to Katniss, whenever opportunity arose) standing next to Lady Primrose's carriage and watching with great anxiety as Peeta and Lord Plutarch approached her husband.

In addition, Lord Finnick had not been home. The night of the duel, they had slept together and she had been at her most seductive. But in the intervening week, she had barely seen him. She had been attending mass religiously, every morning, and it had been an exceedingly dull week.

Her only amusement had been entertaining calls from her coterie, which included Duchess Clove, Duchess Glimmer of Norfolk, and several other high-born ladies. They had taken her for rides, and played the pianoforte for her, to help Lady Anne keep her spirits up.

When she showed herself in public, Lady Anne made certain that she carried a Bible. From this she pretended to read at intervals.

But deep in her heart, resentment burned fierce. She would have back at Peeta and his odious sister! She had never been so insulted as when Lady Primrose had called her a "black-souled witch." And Lord Finnick had not even bothered to come to her defense! In fact, he had chuckled. She was not the witch, it was the dusky maiden. She decided that she would ferret out Katniss's history -- from whence had she come? Had she come from the colonies -- from Africa? Or India?

"In the name of all that is holy," Lady Anne swore, "I will expose this upstart for what she truly is. In the meantime, I shall spread all about London how Peeta has acquired a new mistress, and I shall say that this relationship has been encouraged by his hypocrite of a sister. I shall say how Peeta and the dusky maiden have debauched romps in the drawing rooms of his sister's house, how he takes her on the couch, on the floor, against the fireplace, or wherever he desires, and how willing this hussy is, for she has no morals, absolutely none. To even dare look on a lord -- she, a commoner! No, worse than a commoner -- a dusky commoner! Perhaps she is descended from slaves! Oh, horrors! How Peeta could even think of polluting his member by entering such as she! Who knows how many have preceded him! Oh, it is repulsive to contemplate."

And therefore she did contemplate, and lost herself in jealousy and hatred. In her heart of hearts (if such as Lady Anne could be said to possess a heart), she knew that Peeta would never come back to her, and this knowledge was bitter and galling in the extreme. Love? Was it possible that she loved Peeta? She had told him many times that she loved him, and he had loved her back. But now? Was it possible that it was not merely jealousy she was feeling, but grief?

Her feelings for Lord Finnick were also most confusing. At first she had loved him, and then she had missed him, and then she had gotten exceedingly bored, and then she had met Peeta again, and he had seemed so much handsomer than he had seemed before, and then there was the wildness of their year together, the knowledge that all of London was talking about them, and how the knowledge had given her a feeling of power, a feeling of omnipotence. She had enjoyed that feeling, had thrived on it. And now, with no man to adore her, she was bereft. This was a truly unforeseen and most unwelcome development.

*     *     *     *

In the meantime, Peeta had moved on. He had given orders to shut his London townhouse, and let go his servants. Naturally, he had taken the trouble to find positions for them in the households of his acquaintances -- the ones who resided in London, anyway. To those he was not able to place, he had given generous sums that he hoped would tide them over for several months.

No one knew how Peeta had managed to come into London, deal with his servants, and leave so quickly without being spotted. For there were lookouts (paid for by Lady Anne) watching on his street. Nevertheless, he (no doubt with the aid of his sister) had managed it. The lookouts had been instructed to watch in particular for any "dusky women" entering and departing Peeta's townhome. It was frustrating when the woman or women did not materialize, because Lady Anne still had to pay (naturally) her lookouts' fees, which were exorbitant. After a week, the lookouts informed her that Peeta's servants had been let go.

Ha! Lady Anne thought to herself: he is going abroad again. She well knew of Peeta's pecadilloes with various French hussies. Paris was not so far from London; she imagined herself going there and surprising Peeta, who might be dismayed but would eventually welcome her back into his bed.

Lady Anne had friends in Paris herself. One of these, as luck would have it, was the second cousin of Peeta's second cousin, Lady Delilah Cray. This second cousin of Lady Delilah's was miffed at Peeta over some imagined slight, so he gladly agreed to keep Lady Anne informed if it so happened that Peeta turned up in Paris.

The weeks turned into months and Lady Anne began to lose all patience. In September (having passed a shockingly dull summer with no one to talk to other than Lady Clove -- who was making herself scarce now that she had found a new lover -- and Lady Glimmer, who was not quite as good at intrigue as Lady Clove), Lady Anne herself undertook a trip to Paris, while Lord Finnick was on a hunting trip in Wales. There, she attended mass daily (of course), but the sermons were twice as long as the sermons given by the Church of England. She began to hate the tediousness of these occasions, and cast about for a man she could take as a lover -- not to supplant Peeta, but simply to make the days in Paris go faster.

It turned out that the second cousin of Peeta's second cousin was unhappily married, and not bad-looking besides. His name was Darius. His wife (who everyone called Greasy Sae behind her back), was a consumptive and Darius and his wife had not had relations in almost two years. Therefore, Darius and Lady Anne fulfilled each other's needs quite handily. It was unfortunate that Lady Anne could not help comparing Darius with Peeta, and even with Finnick. She pushed those thoughts aside, or tried to. She bided her time, went to balls, met generals and statesmen, and even managed to meet a few members of European nobility, like Duke Hans of Hollenstein and Duke Franz of Bavaria. All her lovers, however, only increased her longing for Peeta. Not one of these men had Peeta's strong arms or as good an engine. Therefore, her hatred for Katniss increased exponentially, with each of Lady Anne's dalliances.

*     *     *     *

In mid-summer, Peeta moved from his sister's, back to his own estate (which was not very far). It had pained him to leave his sister's abode, and pained him even more to leave Katniss. But, as tongues were starting to wag all over again (there are gossips even in the country), he had decided, for Katniss's sake, to live apart from her. That is, until he felt ready to propose. For his mind had been made up since the day of the duel: he wished to make Katniss his wife.

Peeta's mother was overjoyed to have him back. Though she was surrounded with good friends, nothing could equal the security of having the Earl (who she never thought of as "The Earl" even though that was his title) home. She began to instruct him as to the lives of the various tenants who worked their fields, and shod their horses, and kept the grounds and orchards luxuriant with flowers, hedges, and fruit. She told him stories of her childhood, and even a few of Peeta's childhood (though she avoided all reference, of course, to the harlot). And though she had never met Katniss, she had learned from her daughter Lady Primrose that Katniss was a well-bred, intelligent, and considerate young woman, quite the opposite of the women Peeta had previously taken up with. Not only that, she could sing like an angel.

As for Katniss, she missed Peeta terribly. She had an inkling of his feelings for her, but she never entertained the idea that he might act on those feelings. She was sure that Lady Primrose and Peeta's mother would be dismayed if they learned that Peeta's affections were aimed at her. Peeta deserved a high-born wife, and now that he was proving himself a responsible gentleman, now that he was divested of Lady Anne, she was sure he would not be long in finding the right woman to take her place by his side as the Earl's lawful wife.

She had more than once mentioned to Lady Primrose that the Sisters of Charity looked forward to her return, but Lady Primrose was either surprisingly obtuse or extremely stubborn, for she would not hear of Katniss leaving the estate.

*     *     *     *

One morning, in late summer, Peeta awoke and realized he was happy. He knew well the cause of this happiness. And he thanked (not for the first, or even the twelfth time) what hand of fate had brought Katniss Everdeen into his life.

Now, he began plans in earnest: first, to add a library to his home. His parents, alas, like most of the English gentry, had never been much interested in books. But Peeta had developed an interest (not because of Lady Anne, however), and knowing now how much Katniss loved to read, he thought of building up a collection. Each time he had occasion to speak to Katniss, he would find out a little more about which books she had an inclination for. And then he would send agents to various booksellers, some in London, some in Dublin, some in Edinburgh, and have them purchase on his behalf the finest, rarest editions of particular books. Peeta spared no expense because he was very much in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am debating whether to say more about Lord Finnick's time in India. Stay tuned!


	19. WHY LORD FINNICK DEPARTED ALONE FOR INDIA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satire! To the max!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It starts with Peeta's (deceased) older brother, and ends up (don't ask me how) with Peeta taking long carriage rides with Lady Anne around London.
> 
> I originally thought of this as my chance to write a bawdy romp, a kind of period bodice-ripper, but it hasn't turned out that way. Peeta is not going to be having any more bedroom romps. So I'm letting out my frustrations on Lady Anne and Lord Finnick, lol (and just a wee flashback at the end to rakish Peeta)

Peeta had not been born the eldest son. He had an older brother, Mark, who would have inherited his father's title if he had only lived past five years of age.

Peeta had been two when his brother passed away. Indeed, he did not remember much about his brother at all.

It was lucky for him, however, that he inherited all: the title of Earl, the lands that comprised the Mellark estate, and his mother's undivided attention.

Of course, his mother loved Primrose, but she was only a girl. It was understood that boys were valued more, at least at that period of history. They stood to carry forth the family name. This was a responsibility Peeta had not taken seriously until very recently. Indeed, he had often rebelled against the constraints of family expectation.

Lady Anne's marriage (when Peeta was 21, and Anne 18) to Lord Finnick had increased this tendency towards rebelliousness. He knew Anne loved him, Peeta, not Finnick. Why she had to be married off to someone else was, to Peeta's way of thinking, nothing short of criminal. He departed for the Continent a month after the engagement was formalized.

Lady Anne had not been sad to hear of Peeta's departure because, well -- because Lord Finnick was an extremely handsome man. And wealthy, besides. Finnick himself adored her (or he did until he got to know her better) and the future seemed wonderful and glorious for the young couple. Until one fateful day:

(Re-enactment of the Fateful Day follows):

Lord Finnick (after a morning romp with his wife): Anne, my love.

Lady Anne (quite sated after a morning romp with her husband): What is it, oh dear husband of mine?

Lord Finnick: No blossom is as beautiful as you.

Lady Anne: Oh come now, dear husband.

Lord Finnick: I do not jest, wife. You are as beautiful as a raincloud.

Lady Anne: I do not quite understand . . .

Lord Finnick: A raincloud is heavy with rain.

Lady Anne: Oh. I see . . .

(Interlude of kissing)

Lord Finnick: Much as I detest this, I must impart some . . . news.

Lady Anne: Oh, my Lord. Is there another castle you have not told me about?

Lord Finnick: Indeed there is.

Lady Anne: And where is this castle? Pray it is in the Loire, for I long to spend part of every year in France.

Lord Finnick: My dear, my castle is much farther away than that.

Lady Anne: You cannot mean New America?

Lord Finnick: Oh, no, no. Not quite as far as that. It is just in India.

Lady Anne: Oh.

Lord Finnick: You will love this castle. It is situated in the state of Himachal Pradesh . . .

Lady Anne: Hima -- WHAT?

Lord Finnick: Himachal Pradesh, my love. It is an Indian province. In the very far north. Close to Tibet, in fact.

Lady Anne: Are there balls in India?

Lord Finnick: Balls? Oh, ha ha. I see. My balls will be in India. You can get further acquainted with them there.

Lady Anne (frowning): My Lord, how would we get to India?

Lord Finnick: By ship, of course. There is no other way.

Lady Anne: Ah. But -- I am seasick.

Lord Finnick: You are -- ?

Lady Anne: Yes. When crossing the English channel on summer trips to Paris, I would often heave over the side of the boat.

Lord Finnick: My love, this is tragic!

Lady Anne: Indeed.

*     *     *     *

Some weeks later:

Lord Finnick (at the dining table): My dear, have you given any more thought to --

Lady Anne: My new diamond necklace? Dearest husband, I wish the diamonds were larger.

Lord Finnick: I will remember that for next time. But my inquiry had more to do with --

Lady Anne:  My upcoming birthday?

Lord Finnick: Oh, of course.

Silence descends on the scene.

*     *     *     *

Two months later

Lord Finnick (preparing to go out riding -- alone -- in Regent's Park): I shall be back in a trice, my love.

Lady Anne: Oh pray, do not worry about me, my Lord! Prithee, entertain yourself. Dawdle, if you must.

Lord Finnick: You will not be -- lonely?

Lady Anne: Oh no, my Lord! For I am having tea with Duchess Clove.

Lord Finnick: Then I will depart forthwith. And if you have the opportunity to think further about --

Lady Anne: My new gown?

Lord Finnick: Of course. That.

Lady Anne: Or was it a trip to Paris?

Lord Finnick: Er --

Lady Anne: Only set a date, my Lord, and I shall be ready.

Lord Finnick: Umm. Well. You see, ah --

Lady Anne: Oh, do stop mumbling, dear husband! Off with you! And do take as long as you please!

*     *     *     *

And so Lord Finnick had taken himself off to India. And at first, especially in the first week after his departure, Lady Anne had missed him exceedingly. She had even doubted the wisdom of her desire to stay behind. She had betaken herself to Lord Finnick's country estate, and tried to develop an interest in garden landscaping. But she all too quickly tired of that.

Then she had tried painting, but after executing a dozen or so deplorable still lifes, she had put the easel and paints aside (Not to mention, the smell of the oil paint was nauseating).

She therefore counted it a stroke of the greatest luck when Duchess Clove insisted on her attendance at a ball in London. Lady Anne had donned her most expensive ball gown (given to her by Lord Finnick just before his departure, as a sort of palliative measure), and had a glorious time. Made twice as glorious because who should be in attendance at the ball -- none other than her besotted childhood playmate, Earl Peeta!

In the year since they had last seen each other, he had grown into a man. A very handsome, virile man. His cheeks still had the fresh bloom of youth (for he was only 22), but his jokes were ribald (attesting to several dalliances with French maidens, which caused even Lady's Clove's cheeks to flush) and his manner more at ease. Oh, how she had missed the sight of that glorious head of blonde hair! She had flown to his side immediately and he, though appearing to be quite taken aback by her attention, seemed more than welcoming. Not two weeks later, they were seen out together, in a carriage. This same carriage was seen more and more with its curtains drawn, and it was observed that the Earl's footman waited with his eyes cast down for a good interval of time before dismounting and knocking discreetly against a window and inquiring if the young Earl needed "more time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just *had* to put in that last part, sorry!
> 
> I know, I know, some of you will want to kill Peeta . . . 
> 
> This is all in his past, though.


	20. KATNISS AND PEETA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No romping in this one.
> 
> Events the day after the duel: Peeta and Katniss meet in the library and spend a peaceful afternoon together while Prim and Lord Plutarch go around their estate. Peeta is content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I experimented with adding a picture from my photo archives (of a garden). But it came out really HUGE and was more of a distraction, I felt. So I removed it.

The night of the duel, Peeta fell asleep almost as soon as they arrived at Lady Primrose's. The following day, he slept till mid-afternoon. He finally came down from his rooms around two, still a little pale. But the tension was gone from his face.

Prim told him to sit in the drawing room and was about to ring for tea to be brought when Peeta said he would much prefer they sit in the library. Katniss was already there, it turned out. She looked up in surprise, her finger marking a book as she held it closed on her lap. Peeta saw the fire had not been lit.

"Why are you sitting here in the cold?" he chided her.

"I am not cold," Katniss said. But she was wearing a kind of jacket, and over her knees she had arranged a woolen throw.

He began to prepare the fire.

"Peeta," Prim admonished him. "The servant can do that."

"But it is much quicker if I do it now," he said.

Prim left him alone.

Katniss stood up and said, "Allow me to help you."

"No, no," Peeta said, gesturing her to resume her seat. "We shall talk about that book you are reading. Who is it by?"

Katniss blushed to the roots of her hair. "Alexander Pope," she said.

Peeta frowned and turned to her, "I do not know him. But perhaps you could read some of his poetry to me."

"I could not -- " Katniss began.

"I shall leave you two," Prim said. "Poetry is not a subject that interests me."

"Stay, and listen," Peeta said. "You may be pleasantly surprised."

"I shall not stay," Prim said. "Plutarch has been wanting to go to the village. He has not been for over a week. It will do him good to get about." She did not ask Peeta if he wanted to join them, already knowing what he would say.

"Shall I come with you?" Katniss asked Prim.

"No. Stay with me," Peeta said.

There was silence in the room after Prim left them. Having made sure the fire was going, Peeta pulled up a chair next to Katniss and reached for the book she was still holding. Their fingers brushed, and Katniss hastily let go. Peeta looked at her. "Are you all right?" he inquired.

Katniss nodded, not daring to look him directly in the face.

"I am sorry you had to be mixed up in all that business," Peeta said quietly. He looked away and then continued, softly, "You are so kind. And -- good. I sometimes wonder how you can bear to be in my presence."

*.    *.    *.    *

Prim met Plutarch at the front steps. "How is your brother?"

"He is well. He will be even more well in a day or two," Prim said, giving her hand to her husband so that he could assist her into the carriage.

"He did not wish to accompany us?"

"No. Katniss is in the library," Prim said. "They are reading Alexander Pope."

Lord Plutarch raised an eyebrow but said nothing further.

*.    *.    *.    *

Katniss read to Peeta for a while. She was embarrassed for she was not used to reading aloud for other people. Peeta, however, seemed to enjoy the activity, so she made herself read three or four poems. Then, she stopped.

"Tired?" Peeta asked, a small smile on his face.

"A bit," Katniss said.

"Then, would you like to go for a walk?" he asked.

"Where?" she said.

"There is a small lake at the bottom of that avenue of trees," Peeta said.

*.    *.    *.    *

In the meantime, Lord Plutarch and Lady Prim had gone to the village on their estate. Here was a small stone chapel, built by Lord Plutarch's grandfather, and a small graveyard where all of Lord Plutarch's ancestors were buried. There was also a blacksmith, a tanner, various other craftsmen, and a small, six-room inn.

Lord Plutarch and Lady Prim alighted the carriage to stretch their legs. The villagers approached to greet them, one or two inquiring hesitantly as to the well-being of "Master Peeta." Lady Primrose thanked the villagers for their concern and said her brother was very well. She added that her brother would be out riding in the next day or so, the villagers would surely catch sight of him. The villagers smiled, happy to hear that all was well. They felt affection for Lady Prim and knew how devoted she was to Peeta. They expressed satisfaction at her assurances.

As Lord Plutarch and Lady Prim continued their perambulation of the village, the blacksmith and his assistant came out to greet them. And a little girl ran up and presented Lady Prim with a bouquet of daffodils. The people had been on that land for generations, and Lord Plutarch's family had always been fair in their dealings with them. If only all English gentry were as kind and equitable as the Heavensbees!

As they were heading back to the house, Lady Prim suddenly looked out the carriage window and said, "Look! There they are! Katniss and Peeta!" She immediately began to call out and wave.

"What do you mean? Where? I thought they were in the library?" Lord Plutarch said.

"Stop!" Lady Prim said to the coachman. The carriage came to an abrupt stop and Prim jumped out. "Wait for me!" she shouted to her brother, picking up her skirts and preparing to dash.

Katniss and Peeta were just at the top of the long drive. They had apparently been out for a walk. They stopped and so great was the joy of the three at seeing each other, so happy were their voices, that Lord Plutarch decided to walk with them as well. Though he was not as light on his feet as his wife. After all, he was 10 years older.

Eventually, Lord Plutarch did meet up with the group. Prim was standing between Peeta and Katniss, her arms threaded through theirs. Then all four started the walk back to the house.

"How was your day?" Katniss asked Prim.

"Lovely!" Prim said, trying to ignore the wheezing from Lord Plutarch, just behind them. "And yours?"

"Lovely!" Peeta burst out. "Joyous in the extreme."

"What did you do?" Prim inquired.

"We walked down to the lake," Peeta said.

"Oh! You know you must not swim in it," Prim said.

"Why not?" Peeta inquired, quickly. "Not that. I had. Any intention . . . " He began to stammer and then seemed to have decided that discretion was the better part of valor, for he became completely silent.

"Peeta, when we were children, we used to swim in the pond by the house, do you remember?" Prim said.

Peeta nodded.

"What? You and Peeta? Swimming in a pond? Good heavens!" Lord Plutarch wheezed.

"Of course our governess was watching. It's nothing like your lake," Prim said. "It's about a third the size. I only meant to warn Katniss. I do not know if she can swim . . . "

"I cannot swim," Katniss said. "I have never swam. I've never been to the seashore or a lake. I have only ever lived in the shire with my grandmother." As no one seemed inclined to respond, she continued, "Your lake is very beautiful, Lord Plutarch."

Peeta wanted to say, "I can teach you" but knew that would be beyond the bounds of decorum. Instead he turned the conversation to the swans by the lake, and how the lake was excellent for fishing, and then Lord Plutarch asked what they wanted to do the next day and when Prim suggested a picnic by the lake, they all agreed that it would be a very good idea.

 

 


	21. AN UNEXPECTED VISIT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Gale of Northumberland makes an appearance.
> 
> No romping here.

The picnic at the lake was a joyous occasion. Lady Prim had spared no necessities: there were three kinds of jam, cranberry and raisin scones, a crock of fresh butter, loaves of nut bread, and wine . . .

The last Katniss had occasion to try a little bit. As before, she turned very red, then declared she had had enough.

Peeta drank, but in moderation, and so did Lord Plutarch. Lady Prim had two glasses.

They were all lying back on the grass, admiring the swans, when they were apprised of a visitor. This gentleman came riding up on a fine chestnut mare. Lord Plutarch got up at once to greet him, and brought him back to the group.

"My dear, have you met Lord Gale of Northumberland?" Lord Plutarch asked his wife.

"Why, I do remember you!" Lady Prim burst out. "Were you not at the ball I gave, a month ago?"

Lord Gale nodded, took Lady Prim's proferred hand, and placed a kiss on the back. Then he reached for Katniss's but she placed both hands behind her back. "No need for such formalities with me, sir," she said softly. "I am but a guest here. My name is Katniss."

Lord Gale smiled. "I do know your name, for I met you at Lady Prim's ball. Do you not remember me? I was the man at the pianoforte who accompanied you."

Katniss blushed. "I do remember you, sir," she murmured.

"I have just come from attending service at Yorkminster. Good Lord, they have a new choir mistress. The choir can never recover. Reverend Chaff directed me here."

Peeta now came forward. "We have not been introduced, Lord Gale. I am -- "

"I know who you are, Earl Peeta," Lord Gale said, extending his hand. "I was pleased to hear that the deplorable business with Lord Finnick has been settled."

Peeta raised both eyebrows, and his cheeks flushed. So did Prim's. Lord Plutarch remained as phlegmatic as ever.

"Would you care to join us?" Lord Plutarch said.

"If I am not intruding -- " Lord Gale said, looking pointedly at Peeta.

"No, not at all," Peeta said. "Sit with us. Acquaint us with what goes on in London. Is King George well?"

"The King goes hunting in Scotland at the moment. London is quite dull. It is wise you closed your London house."

"I had forgotten how quickly news travels," Peeta said.

Lord Gale did not respond. He seated himself beside Katniss and threw her an intent look which caused her to feel rather uneasy. Peeta seated himself on her other side.

"Wine?" Lord Plutarch said, offering Lord Gale a glass.

Lord Gale accepted the glass with alacrity. Then he leaned back and proceeded to make himself comfortable on the grass. A quick glance to his left, at Katniss, revealed a book by her side. He picked it up. "What is this?" he asked.

"It is poetry, sir," Katniss said.

"Do not 'sir' me, Katniss. Gale is my name," Gale said, bestowing on her his most charming smile.

Katniss only blushed and lowered her gaze, quite confused by the gentleman's attentive scrutiny.

"Katniss is a great reader," Peeta put in.

"Indeed she must be," Lord Gale said, keeping his eyes on Katniss, "to bring a book to a picnic!"

"She has been reading aloud to us," Peeta said, annoyance creeping into his tone.

"Indeed! What charming pastime!" Lord Gale said. "Do continue!"

"I -- " Katniss began.

"Katniss is tired. She has read quite enough already," Peeta said.

"Oh, nonsense!" Lord Gale said. "Surely it is not very taxing for Katniss to read one little poem?" The way he pronounced her name, especially the "S" at the end, seemed both teasing and affectionate.

"I declare, this breeze is giving me chills! I must return to the house. Katniss, you shall accompany me," Prim said, getting up and arranging her skirts. "Do excuse us, Lord Gale. I have no doubt Lord Plutarch and Peeta can keep you suitably entertained."

Lord Gale scrambled to his feet. "Of course, my dear lady!" he said to Prim, with a deep bow. Then he turned. "Katniss," Lord Gale said, bowing again. The truth of the matter was, Lord Gale had intended to kiss Katniss's hand. Luckily Peeta had stood and was able to intercept him. And Lord Gale had to content himself with a bow.

It was quite comical, the tableaux at the lake which effectively ended the picnic. Peeta declared he would walk with the women back to the house, Lord Gale frowned but kept his peace, and Lord Plutarch began to discourse enthusiastically on the many delights afforded by having so large a lake on one's property.

"Really, it is too disagreeable," Prim said, when she and Katniss and Peeta were almost at the house.

"What?" Peeta asked.

"His showing up here like that," Prim said. "Unannounced."

"He sought out Katniss," Peeta said.

"That is most unlikely," Katniss burst out.

"I do believe you are right, dear brother," Prim said.

Katniss was about to protest but Prim placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"Dearest Katniss, you are entirely too innocent. My brother is right. I believe this will not be the last time we entertain a visit from Lord Gale. The man does try my patience," Prim said peevishly.

Peeta had been watching Katniss's face. He suddenly said, "Dear sister, perhaps we are too hasty. Should we not defer to Katniss and permit her to decide whether she herself wishes to receive his attentions?"

Katness glared at him. "I do not wish to receive any man's attentions," she declared. "I am entirely content as I am."

Peeta fell silent, whether in amazement or embarrassment, we leave it to the reader to judge. Never, not once, in his entire life had he ever heard a woman declare her indifference to the opposite sex. And in such ringing tones, too! He was left in no doubt as to the sincerity of her pronouncement.

Despite his rakish past, Peeta clearly had much to learn, especially about women.

Katniss picked up her pace. She wished to go to her room. She did not wish to talk anymore.

Lady Prim watched as her friend walked ahead. She caught her brother's look. "Oh, Peeta," Prim said, before hurrying after Katniss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Peeta's little stratagem (to sort out how Katniss feels about HIM), just backfired there, at the very end . . .


	22. PEETA APOLOGIZES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still no romping, sorry!
> 
> Second half brings us back to Lady Anne. What can I say, I love writing her.
> 
> Peeta lays all his cards on the table with Katniss. Is he being perhaps a little too passionate with her? Will she be offended -- again? Or will she realize the truth of her own heart (Apologies if this is beginning to sound too Mills & Boon!) 
> 
> You know, if Peeta had addressed these words to Lady Anne, she would definitely have jumped him by now! Instead, Peeta gives Katniss just one chaste kiss (though, with each re-write, the kiss gets longer, lol)

Katniss did not come down for dinner that night, nor for breakfast. Peeta was exceedingly restless. Directly after breakfast, he went to the library and paced. He heard the door to the library being pushed open, then shut quickly, as if whoever it was had seen him and then tried to hide. He knew it was her. He hurried to the door and flung it open. She was almost too quick for him.

"Katniss!" he called. She had been about to head out the French doors to the garden.

She stopped, but she did not turn. Peeta walked up to her.

"I wish to apologize," he said.

"For what?" Katniss said, keeping her face averted. "You have done nothing wrong."

"But I offended you yesterday. As we were returning from the picnic."

"You did not offend me, Peeta. Whatever gave you that idea . . . "

"Let us not play games with each other -- " he began.

Her manner grew instantly cold. "I do not play games," she said. "I am always direct and honest in dealings with people."

"And that is why I admire you so much," Peeta said. "You are not like any woman I have ever known."

Again she fastened him with an unfathomable look. "I am glad you find my speech so entertaining," she said, and turned once more.

"Katniss!" Peeta said, following her. "Then teach me. Teach me the proper way to be with you. For if you do not, then I must sink back into that swamp of . . . of despair where I was until I met you. And I cannot go back there. I _will not_ go back there."

Katniss stopped. She turned. "Peeta," she said, in a much gentler tone of voice, "You know I cannot teach you anything. That is not my place."

Peeta caught one of her hands and enclosed them in both of his. "You think it is not your place to teach me how to be good? You are mistaken: you _can_ teach me. I know it is an arduous task, and for that reason I am impatient; I must begin at once. I am sorry if I offend you. I do not use words well, unlike you . . . "

"On the contrary, sir," Katniss said, slowly. "You _are_ good with words. Better than perhaps even _you_ care to admit."

"In the past I have used words for one purpose, and for one purpose only: and that is to entertain. But you -- when I listen to you, I . . . have an instinctive sense of comfort, of calmness. Your words move at bright speed, and when your words are matched with the look in your eyes, I am inclined to spend my day at your feet, listening and remarking at each turn of phrase. You have captured me, dear Katniss. Please, do not turn away . . . "

Katniss turned slowly to face Peeta. Her heart was beating uncomfortably loud. She returned the pressure of his fingers and whispered, "Peeta, everything you desire to be is already within you. I give you nothing. Whatever peace and calm you experience now comes, I assure you, from a source entirely yourself . . . "

Before she could speak any further, Peeta bent down, cupped her chin with one hand, and kissed her.

Katniss's first instinct was to pull back. But when Peeta raised his other hand to the back of her head, and drew her in closer, she surprised herself by allowing it. Slowly, hesitantly, she inclined herself into him. When they eventually drew back, there was no mistaking the heat they saw still flaming in each other's eyes.

"What -- " Katniss said, raising a trembling hand to her lips. Peeta would have kissed her again if not for the sudden appearance of a maid in the hallway.

*     *     *     *

Lady Anne had unceremoniously dumped Darius a fortnight earlier, and was relating the details of her last meeting with him to Lady Clove. Both women were reclining indolently in their morning robes. They had nowhere to be until mid-afternoon, and Lady Anne was spending the night -- no, the month -- with her acolyte.

Lady Anne gazed enviously at the string of love marks encircling Lady Clove's neck.

"Who is he?" she inquired.

"Oh," said Duchess Clove, yawning prettily. "A not very intelligent being. But quite serviceable." She then winked at Lady Anne, who was unaccountably furious.

"And how was the ginger?" Lady Clove inquired. She was referring to Darius.

"Tremendously dull," Lady Anne replied. "I am tempted to drive by his estate."

"You are returning to Paris? But you have just arrived!" Lady Clove exclaimed.

"Not Paris. I meant Peeta's estate. He has de-camped from his sister's and is back with his mother, Lady Laurentia."

Lady Clove's eyebrows rose -- not at the news that Peeta was back on his own estate, but at the fact that Lady Anne appeared to be so well-apprised of his movements. "He has tired of her at last!" Lady Clove tittered. "It took him long enough."

Lady Anne bestowed a brilliant smile on Lady Clove. "Of course. It was bound to happen. No one regards dark meat as a prize."

The two women laughed until they had made themselves quite breathless.

*     *     *     *

Katniss had fled to her room. She looked anxiously at her reflection in the mirror. Her face seemed utterly transformed. Her skin was translucent, as if lit from within. Slowly, she ran her fingers over her mouth. Then she closed her eyes, remembering the sharp ache that filled her at the first touch of Peeta's lips on hers. Slowly, she brought a hand up to the back of her head, as if she could still feel the pressure of Peeta's hand there.

"Could I -- could I possibly be in love with him?" she said aloud, wonderingly.

She was suddenly assailed with doubts. She was afraid to go into the library for fear she might run into him. His kisses inflamed her. She knew she did not have the power to resist them.

Then her thoughts flew to the memory of his lips, how well they had fit over her own. How well she had felt, being held in his embrace.

"Oh!" she thought, suddenly angry with herself. She pushed herself away from the mirror. "I shall go where I please. And if he is in the library, I shall not allow him to kiss me again!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peeta is gradually chipping away at Katniss's walls. I imagine Peeta is a VERY GOOD KISSER, lol. Lucky Katniss, having her first kiss be with him.
> 
> But now Katniss is feeling like she has to run away from him. Because she doesn't want to end up as just another conquest, or like another Lady Anne.
> 
> Speaking of which: Lady Anne is back in London and that can only mean one thing: trouble with a capital "T."


	23. LADY ANNE GOES TO CONFESSION

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, especially the first 2/3, is very satirical. VERY.
> 
> Especially the scene having to do with the priest.
> 
> Also, nobles are mostly Church of England. I believe that's since Henry VIII?
> 
> So, this Catholic priest chapter is AU. 
> 
> And Christopher Wren, whose designs I love so much, is way before Regency Period (Actually, I started writing this without even knowing WHAT period it was set in, lol.) So his name in this chapter has been changed to . . . Sir Christopher blankity blank. Until I can research more.
> 
> And finally: instead of reading the diary of St. Therese of Lisieux, Katniss is reading the biography of St. Gertrude of Upper Saxony, Abbess of a Benedictine Nunnery (I made that up. Please don't tell me there is actually a St. Gertrude of US)
> 
> THANK YOU all who took the trouble to read and leave a comment!

Lady Anne knelt carefully in the confessional box, allowing her silk skirts to rustle somewhat, so that the priest would know he was about to hear the confession of a high-born lady. That would preclude his asking her to do penance like 20 Hail Marys or 30 Our Fathers. She did not often go to confession, but it was a Saturday, and there were many people about, especially in the square before the church. She lowered her veil enough so that gawking passersby could see who she was, before sweeping magnificently into the side chapel  where confessions were held.

"Bless me Father for I have sinned," Lady Anne began.

The priest said, "Proceed, My Dear. What is it you wish to confess?"

"Father," Lady Anne sniffled. "I have had impure thoughts about a man."

The priest, who had been hearing confessions for the past 30 years, and was accustomed to listening to all kinds of foolishness, was nevertheless interested enough to sit up a little straighter. He did enjoy listening to ribald tales (though he would never admit to it). They could be quite useful. For example, when the Duke of Essex had confessed his many indiscretions, his penance had been to provide the funds for a new church steeple. And quite a wondrous church steeple it had been, too: designed by none other than the King's favorite, Sir Christopher ________. The new steeple was three times as tall as the old steeple, and it was whispered that even Westminster Abbey could not hold a candle to it. Naturally, the priest did not know that common folk referred to it as "Essex's Folly" and made many ribald comments about the tip.

The lady on the other side of the confessional screen was wearing a dusky perfume that reminded the elderly priest of a full-blown English rose, like the ones that grew in such profusion in the cottage garden of his youth, in Yorkshire.

"Well," Father Quinn said. "As long as one does not act on these impure thoughts . . . your husband is no doubt the subject of these thoughts?"

"No, Your Holiness," Lady Anne said, allowing her voice to drop even further.

Both the priest's eyebrows rose and he strove to hear more clearly.

"You must be very careful, my dear," said Father Quinn, "not to allow these thoughts free rein in your mind. For if they involve a man not your husband . . . "

"They do, Your Holiness," Lady Anne said. "But the man is persistent. I mean the man who is not my husband."

"Persistent? The devil! What is this impudent fellow's name! I shall report him to the magistrate! At once!" Father Quinn burst out.

"Oh Your Holiness!" Lady Anne exclaimed, weeping copiously -- even, shall we say, hysterically. "I do not wish to besmirch his name. For he is of noble birth and well known in London and I daresay, all of England!"

The priest decided to take a moment to calm himself. "My Dear Lady," he began, after a few moments. "Your kindness and piety cannot be faulted. That you wish to defend this -- rake -- goes beyond all the requirements of Christian faith."

"Oh, Your Holiness!" Lady Anne wept. "What shall I do? The man has ravished me!"

"What?" the priest could not contain himself any longer. "My Dear Lady, have you -- have you engaged in relations with a man not your husband?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Lady Anne screamed. "I could not refuse him! He overpowered me with his strong arms! And his devilish blue eyes! And hair fairer than a field of ripened corn!"

Half an hour later, when Lady Anne's sobs had alarmed the entire congregation (who had been lending a sharp ear ever since they saw _who_ was making her way to the confession box), the priest came out and embraced Lady Anne. She collapsed in his arms. "There, there, my dear," Father Quinn said. "Do not alarm yourself overmuch. Lord Finnick is a reasonable man. And as for that blackguard, Earl Peeta Mellark, he will never be permitted in any church in all of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. I will make sure he is excommunicated! Forthwith!"

Lady Anne had to be assisted into the carriage by the old priest and her footman, so great was her distress over the fate that had befallen her.

In the meantime, out in the country, Peeta was still at his sister's. It had been several weeks since the duel. Katniss and he had spent much time in each other's company, time which they both relished, but Peeta had not attempted another kiss. He was afraid that if he did, he would end up doing something that he regretted. He knew he had to learn to school his emotions.

Katniss, for her part, enjoyed being in the company of a man who was attentive but always respectful of her person. She sometimes allowed him to hold her hand, but only if they were at a far enough distance from the house. He desired her but he also loved her. It was a new condition for him.

Lord Gale visited several times. Eventually, it became clear to him that Katniss did not return his affections. He guessed it had something to do with Peeta. How did he know? It was not that Peeta or Katniss ever showed more than a respectful regard for each other, it was more of a feeling Lord Gale had, that the temperaments of Katniss and Peeta were complementary. And he was too much of a gentleman to give in to pique. He still visited, but only if he happened to be already in the country. That is, he did not go out of his way.

As for the "excommunication" threatened by the priest who took Lady Anne's confession, it did not come to fruition. The old priest had been hasty, and so his superiors had said when he went to them with the lady's tale. Lady Anne returned for confession some weeks later, but the priest knew why she was there and was rather curt. She never returned.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided against expanding on the "shunning by the Church" thread -- nice try, though, Lady Anne! She'll come up with something else, never fear.


	24. FINNICK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Finnick's aunt, Lady Lavinia, who tells Finnick about an interesting dream she had involving him and a certain mysterious dark-haired lady . . .
> 
> Finnick and Lady Lavinia later go for a walk in St. James Park, where they are spotted by Duchess Clove.
> 
> And there's a little bit of Peeta and Katniss at the very end of the chapter.

"My dear nephew," Lady Lavinia, Finnick's aunt, said one Sunday, "I must share with you a dream I had last night."

Finnick was looking out the window at the bright London day. He was not paying particular attention to his aunt.

"Nephew! I declare, you have not heard a thing I said!" his aunt burst out. She was annoyed in the extreme.

Finnick blushed and turned back to her. "Was it -- something about taking the waters in Bath?"

"No! Of course not! I do not take the waters. At my age! The very idea!" Lady Lavinia shuddered. "I was about to tell you of the dream I had last night."

Finnick was crestfallen. He immediately turned from the window and seated himself across from his aunt.

"My dear boy," Lady Lavinia said, looking fondly at him. "I dreamt you were with a lady and were absolutely happy. Your face was aglow, your whole manner -- delightful."

Finnick stared. "Dear Aunt, I cannot believe you had that sort of dream about me!"

"My dear boy, you were fully clothed. So was the lady."

"Of course," Finnick said, blushing a deep scarlet.

"She had black hair, cut very short -- "

"But my wife has auburn hair, if you remember -- " Finnick began.

"My dear boy, you exasperate me so! Do you want to hear the rest of this dream or not?" his aunt said.

Finnick nodded.

"As I said, you and the black-haired lady were together, on a promenade -- "

"Which promenade?" Finnick interrupted, then subsided at his aunt's thunderous glare.

"It matters not which promenade, this was a dream. My boy, I do believe you have lost your wits!"

"I beg your pardon, dear aunt," Finnick said. "I have been rather -- distracted -- of late."

"With who?" Lady Lavinia inquired. She was sharp as a tack, despite her age. At 78, she had heard it all. The events of the last year and the mockery of her nephew's marriage were deeply unsettling to her.

She loved Finnick. After all, he was the only child of her departed brother, Lord Thom.

Finnick glanced at her. "With -- with domestic matters, primarily."

"Ah!" Lady Lavinia said. "My dear boy, why do you not simply divorce her? You know she does not love you."

Finnick's face fell. His aunt reached out and gently touched his cheek. "Come now, my boy. Do not pout. It is all London can talk about, really."

"I rather hoped," Finnick said, "that by now they would have found a new scandal to entertain themselves with."

"I do so want you to be happy, Finnick," his aunt said.

Finnick looked at his aunt, then put a brave smile on his face. "But I am happy, dear aunt. You worry yourself unnecessarily."

In truth, Finnick was dreadfully unhappy, but admitting it to his aunt -- how would that help matters?

"You should not lie to me, nephew," Lady Lavinia said. "I know you too well. I know you long to return to India. Who is she?"

Finnick glanced warily at his aunt. "I -- "

"Would she entertain the chance of coming to London? I long to meet her."

At this, Finnick burst out into a rich laugh. He simply could not help it. "Aunt," he said, "you are positively incorrigible."

"There -- I have succeeded in making you laugh! At last," his aunt said, a smile on her countenance. Then she continued, in a more serious vein, "I would do anything for you, my boy." Tears crept into her eyes. "Anything to see you happy. I can offer to pay for the lady's passage -- "

Finnick and Lady Lavinia spent the next hour in rather intense discourse.

When the hour was up, his aunt glanced out the window and suddenly exclaimed, "Heavens! Have we really spent this beautiful afternoon indoors? Nephew, we must go for a walk in the park. Be a dear and fetch me my cane. At once." She meant St. James Park, not Regent's Park. The less said of the latter, in his aunt's humble opinion, the better.

*     *     *     *

Lady Anne was frowning. Which was not an expression she favored, as it was her firm belief that frowning led to the premature formation of wrinkles.

But, fie, why would she need to worry about wrinkles? She was only 21. She had at least a decade or more of a wrinkle-free face. In the meantime, she intended to enjoy life. Even though it was becoming increasingly clear to her that Finnick was taking studious pains to avoid her.

Lady Clove had come barging in rather precipitately. "I saw them! I saw them in the Park! The lady was as cool as a cucumber and cut me dead!" Lady Clove was saying.

Lady Anne raised her eyebrows. "How dare that hussy show her face here in London! If I had been there, I would have scratched her eyes out!"

"Well," Lady Clove said, coming up short. "You would have done that? You are indeed a brave woman!"

"I am a wronged woman. It is my prerogative to exact retribution," Lady Anne said, sweetly.

"But don't you think Lady Lavinia is rather old -- " Lady Clove stammered.

"Lady Lavinia?" Lady Anne shrieked. "What are you on about Lady Lavinia?"

"Is she not the aunt of your husband, Lord Finnick?"

"Yes, but -- do hurry up with your story as I wish to see the milliner's about a new hat."

"I was out in St. James when I passed her and Lord Finnick. Lord Finnick seemed about to greet me but the old hen grabbed him quickly by the arm and practically sneered at me. She hurried him off in the opposite direction with precipitate speed. I say, she is rather well-preserved for a woman of her age -- "

"She and Lord Finnick were in the park? Why did they not invite me to accompany them?" Lady Anne said peevishly.

Then, an awful thought suddenly occurred to her. She had not seen Lady Lavinia in months. In fact, it might be almost a year since the two had last exchanged civilities. Perhaps she had heard about Peeta --?

Oh, how ridiculous! Lady Anne thought. A lady that old should not concern herself with gossip. The very idea!

IN THE MEANTIME, OUT IN YORKSHIRE . . .

The love of Peeta for Katniss grew stronger, day by day. He wished to make her his wife, but did not know how to make his wishes plain. He felt sure she must know that he was in love with her. From the patient way she consented to spend time with him, he knew she must feel -- if not love -- at least, affection for him. Affection he would be happy with, for one must start somewhere. And, given what she may have heard about him (though Peeta sincerely hoped she had not heard _everything_ ), he could not blame her for hesitating to reveal the extent of her feelings.

The kiss they had shared was two months past. Peeta sometimes imagined he had dreamed it. And then his mother sent him a letter, inquiring whether he intended to manage the estate as he had expressed the desire to do? She was tiring, and hoped he would relieve her of some of her cares.

For the space of a few moments, Peeta considered proposing before he had to return to his estate. That way, there might be a small chance he could bring Katniss with him. Or, at least, not have to wait so long before bringing her with him.

Then, the better part of him, the truer and gentler part, the part that Katniss was nurturing, patiently, little by little, took over. He knew he must not even consider such a thing. He knew he must leave his sister's, and leave Katniss, and take over the running of his family's estate. Because he was a gentleman and not a fool.


	25. PEETA DEPARTS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heartache and separation for our two.

It was the night before Peeta was to return to his estate. Lady Prim had tried her best to make the dinner festive. She and Lord Plutarch had uncorked some of their best wine, after all it was a special occasion. But there was a feeling of gloom over the dinner table, despite all of Prim's best efforts. Peeta kept glancing at Katniss, who kept her eyes fixed (for the most part) on her plate. She spoke when she was addressed, but seemed pensive -- even, melancholy. She ate little, despite the fact that there was a fine roast, and Peeta -- who had offered to carve -- had himself put a generous serving on her plate.

After, they all retired to the library for a glass of sherry. The fire was burning brightly, and Lord Plutarch challenged Peeta to a game of backgammon. Katniss had her book open on her lap, but she was barely reading. Prim saw her scan the same page, at least half a dozen times. Finally, she gave up. She closed her book and said, "I am afraid I have to take leave rather early this evening -- "

Peeta looked up immediately. "Are you not feeling well, Katniss? Is something wrong?"

Katniss did not look at him. "I am most well. I am only -- a little tired."

"Shall I send a maid up with some hot milk?" Prim offered.

"No, it is not necessary," Katniss said, looking at Prim and smiling faintly. "I shall be much better tomorrow." At the word tomorrow, a faint tremor came into her voice.

She stood. Peeta almost stood, but he did not. "Sleep well, Katniss," he said softly.

"Thank you, P-- " she began, and then a look of confusion came over her face, and she hastily exited the room, hardly glancing at Prim, even though Prim was closest to the door and Katniss had to cross directly in front of her.

Lord Plutarch behaved as if completely oblivious. "Peeta, you are miserable at this game," he chortled. "I expected more of a challenge."

Peeta glanced down at the board, but said nothing. He was to depart early the next morning. The time he had given the groomsmen was eight o'clock. He ended the game quickly, accepted defeat with good grace, and bade his sister and Lord Plutarch good night.

As he mounted the stairs, he thought longingly of Katniss in her room in the east wing, but he quelled those thoughts. He went straight to bed, though he did not sleep at all peacefully.

The next morning, he was outside, waiting for the groom to bring up his horse when he heard a soft voice say, "Peeta."

He turned. It was her. She was grasping a thin cloak around her slender body. He immediately went up to her and led her back inside the house. "You are cold," he said.

It was still summer, and it was not cold, but he could see that Katniss was quite visibly trembling.

"I wanted," she said, haltingly, "I wanted to wish you Godspeed."

Immediately his arms were around her, and it was a very good thing his instincts had made him lead her back into the house. Because if anyone watching had seen the kiss they exchanged -- well!

After, Peeta tried his best to wipe away her tears. And he said those words he thought he would never have occasion to say again, not after Lady Anne: "I love you."

Katniss hurried back to her room, her spirits and body aflame, threw herself on the bed, and wept.

*     *     *     *

Later that day, long after Peeta had departed, Katniss looked for Lady Prim. She found her in the rose garden, snipping blooms for the house.

Today, all the blooms Lady Prim had collected in her basket were, Katniss noticed, yellow.

"Katniss!" Prim exclaimed. "I am so glad you are feeling better!"

In truth, however, Lady Prim did not think Katniss looked at all well. There were deep, purple shadows under her eyes.

"You have grown thin, my dear," Prim said, gently.

Katniss, always slender to begin with, had begun to look fragile. At Lady Prim's remark, she held her elbows close against her body, as if Prim's remark had made her uneasy.

"Have you had breakfast?" Prim inquired kindly.

Katniss shook her head.

"Neither have I," Prim said. "I was waiting to see if you would join me."

Katniss nodded and the two women began walking back to the house, each mulling over their own thoughts.

Just as they were about to enter the house, Prim suddenly put her hand on Katniss's wrist. Katniss stopped and looked at Prim inquiringly. "You _do_ care for him, do you not, Katniss?" Lady Prim asked.

Katniss looked long and searchingly at Lady Prim's face before replying, "I do care for him, of course I do."

"Would you -- would you like to talk about it?" Prim offered.

Katniss shook her head quickly, once. Thankfully, Prim did not press her.

*     *     *     *

Peeta arrived at his estate in time to have early dinner with his mother, Lady Laurentia. She had been expecting him all day and greeted him with a sigh of relief. "Peeta!" she said, and embraced him warmly. There was no need to say more. He was the light of her life, had been since he was a little boy.

They sat before a fire in the drawing room, and he told her about Prim and Lord Plutarch, and their complete satisfaction with each other; about improvements he had envisioned for the estate; about giving up his London townhouse; about his decision to remain in the country for a time. He also apologized for the distress he had caused her in the last year. His mother, though not yet 50 and still a handsome woman, had lately been exhibiting signs of her age. There was no doubt that Peeta's affair with Lady Anne, and the business with Lord Finnick, had taken a toll on her.

It was a painful recounting, for he could not help thinking of Katniss. Yet he withheld her name from his mother, not wishing Lady Laurentia to think her son too precipitate in his affections.

It was a month of very long days before Peeta was able to return to his sister's. So eager was he that mere moments after relinquishing his horse to the groom he was already bounding up the front steps. He was divested of his coat and hat and was informed by a servant that Lady Primrose and Lord Plutarch awaited him in the drawing room.

"The drawing room!" Peeta said in surprise. "Are you sure it is the drawing room, not the library?"

"Yes, sir," the servant said. "They are in the drawing room."

Peeta could not help a slight grimace, for in his mind the drawing room was forever tainted for its having been the scene of his last encounter with Lady Anne. The memory of Her-Who-Had-Almost-Destroyed-Him called forth nothing but the most bitter abhorrence and disgust. For he recognized it now as a form of cowardice to have acceded to the lady's lustful demands, over and over and over again. Long after the realization that he did not love her.

 


	26. LADY ANNE AND DARIUS: THE LADY SCHEMES AND SCHEMES AND SCHEMES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MATURE subject matter
> 
> I believe I have succeeded in introducing the subject of BOILS (read to the end; or, if you have low tolerance for LA, skip to the end)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Satire! Satire! Satire!
> 
> Oh, Will Lady Anne really publish her journal of their affair, and become London's Mistress of Erotica (under an assumed name)?
> 
> You cannot skip this chapter, you seekers of revenge against Lady Anne!
> 
> Katniss makes a wee appearance to explain her leaving Lady Prim's.

Teeth biting, fingers kneading and stroking. It felt wonderful.

"Please," the man whimpered.

Lady Anne frowned. She had told the man not to talk, but he always forgot. "Please," he said again.

Abruptly, she pushed him off her. It was ginger-haired Darius, who had traveled all the way from Paris, after confessing the affair to his consumptive wife, Greasy Sae, who had then barred him from their home, which had led to the man taking refuge in a Paris bordello, which had then led him to come to London, where he had the rudeness to show up at Lord Finnick's . . .

But anyway, Lord Finnick was never around, he had taken to spending more time at his aunt's than at home.

"Listen," Lady Anne said petulantly. "If you can't follow instructions, then you can't be my lover."

She did not want Darius to talk because sometimes, she could almost imagine it was Peeta making love to her. Darius nodded, his face tear-stained. He was desperately in love with Lady Anne (or he thought he was, anyway).

"Good," Lady Anne said.

The act continued. In the meantime, Lady Anne was having one of her visions. In this vision, she recalled certain words that Peeta had spoken to her: _I will keep you safe. I am your pilot now. Can I make you see stars?_

"Oh, yes, Peeta," Lady Anne moaned.

Immediately, the man above her stilled.

"What?" Lady Anne said, petulantly opening her eyes.

Really, it was too odious. The man was staring at her like a whipped puppy, his tongue hanging.

"Get out," Lady Anne said.

After Darius left, Lady Anne went to her writing desk. She produced a small silver key, unlocked a drawer, and withdrew a vellum-covered journal. It was a diary she had kept, during the year she was with Peeta.

In her last tete-a-tete with Lady Clove, Lady Anne had shared some of the choicest bits. Lady Clove had pronounced the writing "magnificent" and now Lady Anne was thinking of producing the journal for publication -- under a nome de plume, of course. The pseudonym "Lady Angela Cherry" had occurred to her. Or perhaps something naughty: The Riding Duchess, perhaps?

Lady Anne closed her eyes and smiled with pleasure. For, even if she did not have Peeta, she could still imagine him. And, who was to say he would not eventually come back to her? London was busy gossiping about the Earl's recent return to his estate. The dusky woman had, also, finally de-camped from Lady Prim's. So Peeta had done with the harlot! What ever had Peeta seen in her in the first place?

Now Lady Anne was so overjoyed, she nearly wept tears of happiness.

*     *     *     *

"My dear, is this really necessary? You may stay here. For as long as you like! My wife vastly prefers your company to mine, as I am sure you are aware!" Lord Plutarch said.

Katniss had come to him, her mind made up. She had not told Lady Prim, for fear the lady would succeed in dissuading her.

"I have imposed too much on your hospitality, Lord Plutarch," Katniss said humbly, her hands twisting in her skirt from nervousness. "I am very grateful for your kindness and generosity, but -- "

"And whatever shall we say to Peeta when he returns?" Lord Plutarch said, his brow already knotted with anxiety. "The boy has developed quite a fondness for you, as I'm sure you know."

Katniss colored to the roots of her hair, but kept silent.

"The devil!" Lord Plutarch said. Then, realizing he was in the presence of a lady, he said. "I apologize for the language, my dear lady. It is just that -- this decision of yours is rather sudden, and I will be hard put explaining it to my wife!"

"I shall see her once a week, at Yorkminster. I shall be directing the choir there, as I did before," Katniss said. "And -- and perhaps I could spend a weekend here, occasionally. If my employers permit."

"Very well, very well," Lord Plutarch said testily. As soon as Katniss had left the room, he began to pace, his hands crossed behind his back. "Damn the boy and his infernal dithering! If he had made matters plain before he left, she would not feel she had to leave."

*     *     *     *

Lady Anne stood before a full-length mirror in her boudoir. Lady Clove and Lady Glimmer were behind her, gazing at her form in stupefied amazement. Lady Anne had forsaken her usual silks for a loose-fitting pair of men's woolen trousers. On top she wore a fitted tweed jacket.

Lady Clove clapped her hands with glee. "You are inspiration itself, Anne! Is this to be your attire for His Majesty's costume ball?"

"Is that not in November?" Lady Anne said, in a tone of vast scorn.

"Why, yes, it is," Lady Glimmer said.

"And it is only September now, is it not?"

Lady Glimmer subsided to silence while she calculated it.

"It IS September, you twit," Lady Anne said. "No. I am intending to pay Peeta a visit."

"What?" Lady Clove said. "Dressed like that?"

"Yes. Do you think it will pass?" Lady Anne said. She needed men's boots, though. Below the hems of the trousers, her silk pumps, embedded with small sapphires, would give her away immediately.

"But -- would it not be better to -- show off -- your, your -- " Lady Glimmer stammered.

"My what?" Lady Anne said icily.

Lady Glimmer made a gesture to her chest, then laughed. Everyone knew how the mere sight of Lady Anne's chest was enough to make half the men in the room lose their train of thought. All the men in London, no matter whether they were 14 or 90, liked to ogle Lady Anne's chest.

"Fie, the chest is for dullards. Peeta is a man of sharper intellect. He would welcome the -- challenge of undoing my britches!" Lady Anne smirked.

"But how are you to get to him?" Lady Clove inquired.

For this Lady Anne had no answer, at least not yet.

"Lady Prim will have you thrown off her estate!" Lady Glimmer put in.

"He is no longer at his sister's," Lady Anne said, her lips curling in triumph.

Both Duchesses turned to look at each other, eyebrows raised.

"Where has he gone?" Lady Clove inquired. "Is he in Paris?"

"Or Vienna?" Lady Glimmer added.

"Or -- perhaps INDIA?" Lady Clove said, almost sneering. The talk was that Lord Finnick had a paramour there. It was a secret dig at Lady Anne, for these best friends loved nothing so much as playing games with each other.

"Certainly not!" Lady Anne said. "How dull your minds are! He is on his ancestral estate."

"What?" both Ladies screamed in unison.

"Forsooth! How quickly you forget! He has given up his London house. Where else would he reside but in his estate?"

"He has a liking for French ladies, we heard," Lady Glimmer tittered.

"Mere amusements! Every nobleman must have somewhere to wet his tip!" Lady Anne cried hotly, unreasonably incensed.

She turned back to the mirror. She would get to Peeta, and then she would reveal herself. She was sure she would have him back in a trice.

*     *     *     *

That night, Lady Anne lay in bed, her mind filled with black schemes. She had been angered by her friends' derision at her male costume. Naturally, Lady Anne had never thought she would have to stoop to such a masquerade. For Peeta had always been ready for their trysts. Ready, and more than able.

"I shall have him," she whispered to the darkness.

She would have to find a way to bind her breasts so that they would not spill out of her man's shirt. And she would purchase a man's hat, one with an extra-long plume.

To complete the disguise, she might have Lady Clove hang on her arm, as if she were Lady Clove's current lover. No one would have the slightest suspicion that the handsome man at Duchess Clove's side was really Lady Anne.

She imagined, over and over again, a scene where she revealed her true identity to Peeta. How great would be his joy and delight! He would swear it was all just a misunderstanding, a fever (men sometimes succumbed to those). How happy Peeta would be to be restored to his rightful place at her bosom!

She placed a hand between her legs, as was her nightly custom now that Darius had been banished forevermore from her bed. She was greatly surprised to feel an unaccustomed tenderness. Good heavens, she thought. And the man so poorly endowed. Had he scratched her -- there? Unfortunately, Lady Anne did not feel like getting out of bed to investigate her nether regions in the light of a candelabra. She eventually fell asleep, and it was a mercy that she slept the whole night through, for she was soon to enter a deep state of misery, one greater than any she had ever known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN.
> 
> Could that tenderness in Lady Anne's nether regions be due to -- canker sores?
> 
> You tell me!


	27. CROSSROADS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naughty scene added . . . towards the end . . . Lady Anne of course . . . Skip if you hate Lady Anne. She's remembering Peeta . . . because all she has now are memories.
> 
> Also -- ha, ha! -- Peeta has a surprise encounter at the end. I just couldn't resist.
> 
> Satire! Of course!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A surprise awaits Peeta -- more than once.

After her talk with Lord Plutarch, Katniss had gone immediately to her room and packed her things. There was not much: she had so very few clothes. Over the course of her stay, Lady Prim had tried to give her a few dresses, but Katniss had refused.

The lilac gown she was wearing the night she had first met Peeta still hung in her closet. Katniss ran her hand over it, with great feeling. She counted that evening as both the worst (because Lady Anne had slapped her, for no reason other than she thought Katniss had been monopolizing Peeta) and the most thrilling of her entire life (because that was the evening she had met Peeta)

Everything Katniss owned had fit in a small, battered valise. Then, she had washed her face (for she had begun crying a bit, thinking again of Peeta) and waited until Lady Prim herself came bursting into the room, upset at the news Lord Plutarch had just imparted, that Katniss was leaving the next day, to resume her post at Yorkminster.

"Why, Katniss, I am surprised at you," Lady Prim had said, somewhat bitterly. "Were you not happy here? What more do you think we could have done for you?"

Katniss had caught Lady Prim's hands and kissed them and assured her friend that she had been most felicitously happy, during the months she had stayed at the estate. But she also felt she should go back to earning a proper living. And as she loved music, and as she loved to sing, and as the Reverend Chaff had been so kind as to keep her post open for her, she must now begin to work again.

Lady Prim was quite sad. She persuaded Katniss to stay one night longer than planned. She uttered many heartfelt sighs that she wished Katniss would reconsider, as it was so lonely in the mansion, with no one but Lord Plutarch to converse with, especially now that both Peeta and Katniss were leaving.

Katniss embraced Lady Prim, and said she hoped they would always be friends.

"Peeta will be quite crestfallen to find you have left us," Lady Prim said.

"I think you are mistaken," Katniss said simply. "He has too many other matters to think about. Especially now he must run his estate."

*     *     *     *

"Where is she?"

This was perhaps not the most felicitous greeting Peeta had ever directed at his sister, but it was a true reflection of his state of mind when he entered the drawing room and found only Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch waiting there.

"Peeta! How good it is to see you again!" Lady Prim said, rising quickly from her seat. Acting as if Peeta had not spoken.

But Peeta refused to be deterred. "Is she not here? Katniss?" he had said.

"Oh!" Lord Plutarch. "She left us. Indeed she has."

"When?" Peeta asked, feeling quite like pulling his hair out. "Why did you not send word?"

"Oh, brother, she begged us not to," Prim said. "She thought it would distract you from your purpose. Of running the estate."

"This is -- a wretched circumstance, most wretched!" Peeta burst out. Indeed, he was quite red in the face. "I expected her here. If I had known, I would have gone directly to Yorkminster."

"But, brother, do sit for a minute!" Lady Prim said. "You are quite distraught. Surely after dinner . . . "

MEANWHILE, OVER IN LONDON . . .

Lady Anne slept till quite late. She got up, still groggy, and headed for the drawer where she kept her secret Journal of the Year with Peeta.

Fine. If her friends thought her donning male garb was ridiculous, she would focus on her author talents. She was not entirely unaware of the naughty publications that circulated in the netherworld of London. She liked to think more than a few were based on her, as most of the ladies they featured had auburn hair, fetching green eyes, and bountiful bosoms . . . 

But damn, her "down there" hurt. She must apply some sort of soothing balm . . .

Then, she realized she still had the journal out. Smiling, she took it with her to the bed.

Ah, here was an entry on a day Peeta had knelt between her thighs. She had wound her fingers in his hair, keeping his face down so that he could thoroughly work her body open with his tongue. Sweet pressure, sweet boy. His lips were as sweet as an English berry in springtime. And so tireless, always so willing to pleasure her. She did so wish she could see him sooner rather than later.

What need had she of other men, when the one she needed was right here, captured forever in her journal? Lady Anne made her way back to bed, collapsed on the silken sheets, and began moaning with pleasure. She flipped the journal open one last time before going under, and read: _Peeta's tongue found a rhythm across my core and his pointer finger slid slowly into me, exploring my soft, delicate insides . . .  
_

_*     *     *     *_

The next morning, early, found Peeta thundering to York. He arrived close to mid-day.

He was rather flummoxed when no one seemed to be able to point him in the direction of the boarding house of the Sisters of Charity. But when he described Katniss's appearance, everyone seemed to know who she was. One rather tipsy gent (whose breath stank of ale; this was how Peeta knew he was drunk) slurred: "Ay, is that the lady who sings at the minster? The one they call the Mockingjay of Yorkshire?"

Peeta wanted to upbraid the man for using such a familiar tone with _his_ Katniss . . .  then he realized she was not _his_ Katniss. Not yet, anyway.

"That the one you be wanting, ain't it?" the drunk said, almost toppling forward.

Peeta spun away from him. At that very moment, who should he see, emerging from a small house not ten steps away, but a dandy. A very resplendently dressed dandy. Who looked Peeta up and down in the most insolent way.

 _What is with the people here?_ Peeta thought. _They all seem half mad._

"I say!" Peeta hailed the dandy.

And the dandy minced forward, sashaying his hips as if he were one of those -- poofs.

"May I -- " the man began, in a ridiculously high voice. Then, he repeated, in a somewhat lower register: "May I be of service, Earl Peeta?"

Peeta was so taken aback that the dandy knew his name that he was left quite speechless.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to up the rating to Explicit because of Lady Anne's last scene . . .


	28. THE DANDY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satire! 
> 
> That dandy turns out to be pretty hard for Peeta to shake!
> 
> Mayhem ensues.

"Sire, may I -- "

That high voice again! Peeta found it quite grating.

Then, a lower register: "Sire, may I be of service?"

Peeta made a dismissive gesture. "Unless you know the woman who is called the Mockingjay of Yorkshire, then no, I do not require your assistance."

The dandy stood there with mouth agape. Peeta found himself getting quite annoyed.

"Now, if you will excuse me -- " Peeta said, turning away.

The dandy put out a hand and tweaked Peeta's jacket sleeve. Peeta swatted the hand away. "Sir!" he said. "I believe I made myself clear: I am not in need of your assistance."

"But -- " came the squeaky voice again. Followed by a lower-toned "But -- "

Peeta stared at the man with his eyes narrowed. "What is your game, Sir?" he demanded.

"My game?" came the squeak.

"Yes. Your game," Peeta almost shouted. "Do you think I am one of those, those -- " Peeta was at a loss. He meant: one of those who look for boys. He was almost set to pull his hair out.

"Sir!" the dandy squeaked. "I beg your pardon! I did not mistake you for, for -- "

Peeta turned his back on the strange fellow and directed his steps toward the minster. The dandy, though, followed directly at his heels. Peeta gritted his teeth but decided to ignore him.

As the minster loomed larger and larger before him, Peeta felt his breath quickening.

*     *     *     *

Katniss was just stepping out the east entrance to the minster when she heard her name being called. Quickly, she turned her head. "Peeta?" she gasped. Close behind Peeta -- for indeed, it was he -- followed another man. A new footman? The man had a hat with a ridiculously long white plume, almost trailing the ground. Strange for Peeta to have hired such a servant!

Peeta came rushing up. He looked -- angry? But before he could speak, or Katniss could respond, the servant snagged his right foot on a rock or a pebble and came toppling down, narrowly missing Peeta as he did so.

"Look out!" Katniss screamed.

Peeta barely turned his head, so focused was he on getting to Katniss. But Katniss rushed forward to assist the man on the ground.

The scene that presented itself was exceedingly comic (to anyone other than the three participants). It unfolded thus:

Peeta rushed headlong to Katniss (completely ignoring the mishap that had just occurred behind him)

The gentleman on the ground cried out "Peeta!" in a high, feminine voice.

Katniss immediately rushed to the assistance of the man on the ground, thereby ducking at precisely the moment when Peeta sought to embrace her.

The dandy howled piteously and clutched his right shin. The cloth of his britches had torn and through the (rather large) tear Katniss saw a surprisingly delicate (for a man, that is) white calf.

Peeta finally seemed to shake himself out of the trance he had fallen into at the first sight of Katniss. He perceived the tableaux before him: the silly gentleman was on the ground, apparently hurt. And Katniss -- _his_ Katniss (again, Peeta could not shake the sense of ownership he felt over the lady's slender person) -- was very gently prodding the man's leg with her delicate fingers.

"Now, sir," Peeta said, addressing the man on the ground in his gruffest tone, "you have received a scratch. Pray desist from howling so. One would think you were being murdered."

Peeta's remonstrance went for naught -- nay, it even increased the man's mad howling. By now, a small crowd had gathered.

"Lass," said the drunk who Peeta had spoken to but a few minutes earlier, tapping Katniss gently on the shoulder, "let me have a look. I am a doctor." And then the drunk (for he clearly was a drunk, he positively reeked of the alehouse) yanked off a strip of the dandy's britches which set off a torrent of language on the order of: _Unhand me at once, you lecher! Take your filthy hands off me! Help! Someone!_

"Upon my word," said the drunk, falling backwards and landing on his bottom. "You screech like a woman, sir! Prithee, take a hold of thyself! The young gentleman here is right: 'tis but a scratch. But the wound needs to be brided . . . "

Katniss was still kneeling on the ground next to the screeching dandy. She put a hand on the dandy's knee, in an attempt to calm the man down, but the man then unaccountably recoiled from her touch and attempted to crawl -- _crawl_ \-- away.

At which point, Peeta completely lost his patience. He bent down, helped Katniss gently to her feet and whispered, "Let us have done with this charade. I must speak to you, privately." He held her close, close enough to smell her hair, which to Peeta smelled like heaven itself. She tried to stand a little straighter, to move slightly away from him, but he would not have it. He tightened his grip.

Suddenly, the dandy on the ground started up a most infernal howling. After he got over the shock, it dawned on Peeta that the words were being directed at _him_ , personally. And they went thus:

"Peeta, I swear to God. DO NOT TOUCH HER. As you value your life, do not so much as LAY A FINGER ON HER."

It suddenly dawned on Peeta that he _did_ recognize the voice and the timbre of the speaker. He had heard that screeching jealousy many times. His eyes at first widened in disbelief. And then, a look of utter disgust crept onto his face.

"You!" he gritted out at the figure on the ground. "It is _you_! What infernal wickedness have you been up to?"

Peeta strode up to the prone figure of Lady Anne -- for indeed it _was_ she -- and snatched the long-plumed hat from her head. Her long, auburn hair, which she had tried to fasten in a neat bun, came tumbling out. Panting heavily, she gazed up at Peeta.

"I am your one true love, Peeta, the woman you swore you loved more than your own life! Yes, it is I! I disguised myself in this fashion hoping to make you come to your senses! Hoping to save you from the whorish desires of your own weak heart! Hoping to rescue you from the evil designs of that -- that _she devil_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, unfortunately, things in this chapter did not go too well for Lady Anne.
> 
> She did quite well as a dandy except for the tripping at the end.
> 
> The question is: is she now down for good?


	29. LADY ANNE RECEIVES TREATMENT FOR HER INJURY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Smut dreams, creepy nightmares, and -- early symptoms of syphilis!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gratuitous smut dream (Who else's? About who else?) 
> 
> Skip to the jump to get more firmly anchored in reality!
> 
> Is the end of this character really at hand?
> 
> Finnick's question at the end -- he WAS thinking of syphilis. But he couldn't say it.
> 
> Is it curable? Because maybe there is a chance for Lady Anne . . .

_"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, next time I'll make it so good for you -- " Peeta panted into Lady Anne's ear, thrusting his hips against hers.  
_

_She closed her eyes, arched her head, and stretched out her arms to their fullest extent. In so doing, the backs of her hands touched something unexpected, at the top of her head. Her hands came down immediately. Peeta was still thrusting into her, and she didn't want him to stop, but she had to find out what those strange things were. She lowered both hands and began to run her hands over the strange growths. She stopped when her fingers reached the pointed tips: two horns, growing from her head!_

_Lady Anne screamed and screamed and screamed . . ._

* * * *

She was in a miasma of pain.

"Will she get better?" she heard a familiar voice ask.

"Peeta . . . " she groaned.

A face hovered over hers. But it was not Peeta. It was -- Finnick!

She reached out both arms. "Finnick!" she gasped. "I am sorry . . . "

The face quickly disappeared. Something was pressing against her flesh. Whatever it was, it was -- disagreeable. There was an awful pain in her shin. The memory of how she had scraped it came back to her. In her haste to prevent Peeta from reaching the dusky woman, she had tried to reach out to him. Not looking where she was going -- and wearing those horrible, ugly men's boots -- she must have trod on a pebble. And then she came crashing down.

But even that pain was nothing compared to the pain of seeing Peeta grasping the dusky woman to himself, seeing the unmistakable expression in his eyes.

"For me! For me!" Lady Anne gasped. "That look was meant for me!"

*     *     *     *

Finnick hastily closed the shutters and moved away from the window. There was a small knot of people standing outside, heads together, as if conferring. Lady Anne was in a bed behind him. The "doctor" -- clearly drunk, but no one else was to be had at the moment -- had given her a strong draught of laudanum. Lord Finnick had paid him for his services, then watched the man head directly to the alehouse.

Finnick pulled a chair up to the bed, unbuttoned his waistcoat, flung it over the chairback, sat down, and buried his head in his hands.

The innkeeper stole quietly in. He took stock of the scene before approaching. Finnick did not lift his head. "Sir," the innkeeper said, touching him very gently on the shoulder. He felt nothing but pity for the young noble, who had come immediately upon getting word of his wife's condition. The innkeeper knew that the wife had arrived dressed as a man. She had given a false name. Afterwards, the other young man, the Earl, had given the innkeeper the woman's real name and instructed him to send for the woman's husband, Lord Finnick of Odington. At the name, the innkeeper's jaw had practically dropped open. That was a famous name. Truly, it was sad that a woman married to a name as old and respected as that could behave in such a wanton fashion. "Sir," the innkeeper said. "There is a lady downstairs to see you." Finnick raised his head, slowly. "Says she's your aunt."

Scarcely had the innkeeper said those words than the lady herself entered the room, swishing her skirts in a peremptory manner.

"My dear aunt!" Finnick burst out.

It was at that moment -- and Finnick could not really explain why it happened the way it did -- something roused Lady Anne from her laudanum-induced slumber and she opened her eyes.

Finnick rose at once from his chair. His aunt raised a hand, in a gesture he well knew. He stood back. The old lady approached the bed, from which Lady Anne was staring with wide, fearful eyes.

Lady Lavinia took the chair Finnick had just vacated and spent a few moments arranging her skirt. Then she fastened an intent gaze on Lady Anne, who was uncharacteristically silent.

"Are you well, my dear?" Lady Lavinia said, in a conversational tone.

"I-- I am quite well, thank you," Lady Anne said.

Without further ado, Lady Lavinia bent forward and took Lady Anne's chin in one surprisingly firm hand. The other (still wearing a glove) pressed firmly on Lady Anne's lips, forcing Lady Anne to part her mouth slightly. Finnick was completely mystified by this behavior and said, hesitating, "Aunt, I think -- "

"Hush, Finnick," Lady Lavinia said. "Your wife needs a real doctor. Send for one from London. At once." Still cupping Lady Anne's chin with one hand, Lady Lavinia turned the young woman's face towards Finnick. His wife's lips were still slightly parted, and Finnick could see, in the light from a window, what appeared to be a strange discoloration of Lady Anne's tongue.

"What -- " Finnick said, feeling a slowly spreading horror. "What . . . in God's name . . . is that . . . "

"She needs treatment, nephew," Lady Lavinia said softly. "Or she will die."

Finnick's face assumed a stricken look. "Is it . . . is it . . . "

"I do not know," Lady Lavinia said. "But she needs a doctor. A very good one."

"I shall spare no expense," Finnick vowed, whether from an access of pity or remorse we will leave the reader to decide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about syphilis. Except that Henry VIII died from it?
> 
> I don't know if I want Lady Anne to actually END, though. Or to end THIS WAY. Because she was a lot of fun as a (satirical) character.


	30. FINNICK AND PEETA HAVE A CONVERSATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta's mind is churning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NO TRIGGER WARNINGS in this chapter . . . since Lady Anne is not in it.

Peeta had put up at an inn in York, and that was where Lord Finnick found him, on the day Lady Anne was sent to Bath. She had been entrusted to the care of a doctor, a maid, and Lady Lavinia.

At first, Peeta grew uneasy when the innkeeper (This was a different inn from the one Finnick was staying in, obviously) sent a lad to say Lord Finnick was awaiting his presence in the parlor.

Peeta had spoken to Katniss, but only briefly, the day before. She had refused to leave the Sisters of Charity.

Yet, something in her face soothed Peeta's fears.

"I shall stay a few days," he told her.

She had seemed pleased at the prospect, though she expressed only a very mild, "As you please, sir." He was annoyed by her use of "sir" but, as they were in the street, and the incident with Lady Anne had just transpired, he knew she was trying her utmost to appear a respectable woman (even though she did not need to try; she was simply the purest woman Peeta had ever met). He did not try and grasp her hand, he did not try to extend the conversation (though inside him was all anguish at the thought of having to part with her, even though he would see her the next day, and the next, and the next -- he had decided he would stay four nights in York, and damn the gossips!)

Lady Anne had been delivered to the inn, in the care of the drunk (Haymitch was his name, Peeta later discovered). Reverend Chaff had appeared, and offered to walk Katniss back to the boarding house. It was Peeta's first meeting with the Pastor, who seemed an upright, intelligent gentleman. Peeta was grateful to him for his care of Katniss (though Peeta did take the trouble to determine, later, whether the Pastor was married, and he was)

Peeta had slept very poorly. Each time he closed his eyes, he heard Lady Anne's angry screech, and then Katniss's lovely face, contorted with hurt. If only he had been able to comfort her! But the accusations made her wish to keep her distance from him; he knew this. If they had but chance to converse privately, he could at least make an attempt to repair the damage. But there was no opportunity. He wished to go to her the next day, as soon as first light. But he did not wish to offend the nuns, so had decided on 10 a.m. And then Lord Finnick had appeared.

*     *     *     *

Peeta entered the small parlor, wishing with all his mind and his soul that he did not have to be there. The handsome man standing before him did not appear angry. _But, he has every right to be so_ , Peeta thought, which made it twice as bad. All Peeta could really do in the presence of Lord Finnick was blurt out, "I am sorry," like an abject fool.

Finnick nodded curtly. The silence in the room was thick.

Eventually, it was Peeta who broke the silence. "I suppose you are here to call me out again," he said.

"Call you out -- " Finnick said slowly, frowning.

"Another duel," Peeta said dully (though every cell in his body was screaming: _Live, Let me Live. At least let me show you what I have become_ )

Finnick gazed long at him. "You love her?" he said finally.

"No," Peeta said. He would have liked to add: _I love another. But I will let you kill me in order to prove to that lady that I am worthy of her love._

"You do _not_ love her. I see," Finnick said. He clasped his hands behind his back and turned away from Peeta.

"But if you would -- " Peeta began.

Finnick at once cut him off. "So you were toying with my wife? And what about the other lady? Do you love _her_?"

Peeta could only look at Finnick, stunned.

"She has been diagnosed," Finnick continued, almost in a rush. "If you have been -- intimate -- with her recently, I would advise you to see a doctor. At once. It may mean the difference between life or death."

"Why are you telling me this?" Peeta said. "Are you hoping to catch me in some -- falsehood or -- error of some kind . . . "

"I am telling you out of pity," Finnick said. "I have sworn to tell every man she has been with. It is my -- penance, if you will."

Peeta nearly laughed in his face. _Penance? What lunacy was this?_

"I act on the urging of a . . .  spiritual healer," Finnick said. "What little honor I have left, I will gladly offer, to acknowledge my part in her affairs."

When Peeta still seemed at a loss for words, Finnick said, "Well, I have said what I came here to say. Good day."

"Lord Finnick," Peeta stumbled over his words. He seemed to have lost the power to think.

"Spare me your guilt. It is useless, you know. It is really for the other lady that I came here. So that you would keep her _unsullied_ by your sickness. The sickness you may have acquired from my wife."

And then Lord Finnick walked out without sparing Peeta a backward glance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Lady Anne caught SOMETHING from one of her more recent lovers. I decided not to go into too much detail, and leave it open-ended, so that she has a small chance of surviving. Because, I don't know what to say, she was an enlightening character study, at least she was for me.


	31. PEETA AND KATNISS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta becomes desperate! He thinks he's about to lose Katniss.

Peeta waited half an hour after Finnick left, then walked to the boarding house of the Sisters of Charity. All the way there, his mind was roiling with thoughts.

Finnick had not insulted him. Finnick could have demanded another duel but he did not.

And then: Was Anne really sick? He felt a moment of despair. Was he so selfish that he did not feel even the slightest bit of concern for her? She, who had risked everything for him -- even, in the end, her sanity.

When he reached the boarding house, he waited at the door while a nun went to fetch Katniss. She appeared so quickly he knew she must have been waiting. He let his eyes take in every detail of her face: her eyes, those silvery eyes he loved so much. Her lips, pensive and yet capable of giving him so much pleasure and hope. "Did you -- did you sleep well?" he asked.

She nodded. "And you?" she asked. Peeta nodded as well. What liars they both were!

"I had wanted to speak to you yesterday about a matter that could not wait. I am sorry -- all that business . . . " his voice fell away, he made a gesture of frustration.

If only he had never known Anne, had never, ever let himself know her.

He stopped walking and faced Katniss. "I want you to know -- " he stopped.

She looked up at him and waited.

"I did not love her," he said thickly. Even as he said it, he realized how it made him appear. As the worst sort of man, someone who would take pleasure in a woman's body, without giving her his heart. "Not the way I love you."

He dropped his gaze and waited. Why would she not speak?

Finally, she said: "I know you care for me . . . "

"But it is more than that," Peeta said. "Much more!"

"But you cannot know . . . you cannot compare us. I and her are so different!" she said.

"And that is why I love you, don't you see?" Peeta said. "She called out only what was most base in me. It is a shameful thing, to acknowledge how base I have been. I had hoped you would never learn that truth about me. But, there. You know all, after yesterday."

He had to turn away. Why had he even come? Perhaps he should simply return to his estate, hope that in time she would forgive him.

Finally, she spoke. Her voice trembled. "It is difficult for me," she began, "to know that you were with her. In that way . . . "

"Katniss," he said, almost pleading, "I did not love her. I was a fool, and lost myself in a fantasy. But you! You are as solid as this ground. You are earth, and -- " He was trying to explain his feelings, but he was losing his words. His head was spinning. If he could only catch her, hold on to her, before she slipped away entirely . . .

He caught her hand and gripped it firmly. "Marry me," he said.

A hectic color rose in her cheeks.

"Marry me," he repeated, gripping her hand more firmly.

"You cannot expect -- " she began.

"Tomorrow," Peeta said. "I shall come back tomorrow. And if you cannot give me an answer then, I will ask the next day, and the next, and the next . . . "

Katniss snapped her head up quickly to look around and see if anyone had overheard their exchange. A pair of women were the closest passersby. They caught Katniss's gaze and returned hers malevolently, whispering behind gloved hands about the sort of woman she was. She tried again to tug her hand out of Peeta's grip but he would not release it.

"If you intend to reject my suit, do it tomorrow. Not today, I would rather put off the agony by even just one day . . . "

Katniss returned to her room an hour later, her thoughts in turmoil.

She knew she was fond of Peeta, had enjoyed his kisses -- but were those enough reasons to marry him? There was no other man who had aroused the same heat in her as Peeta did. But that meant very little, for before Peeta she had met only a very few men, not one of whom had been interested in her. Oh, they might have squeezed her hand, or leaned in a little too close, but what they wanted was a quick encounter, not a life partner.

And then she remembered the pain of realizing how much Peeta had shared with other women. She immediately recognized the passion and heat in Lady Anne because she had felt them herself. She had no doubt that Peeta had not told her everything. But everything she needed to know about his past was there in Lady Anne's anguished utterances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize there's been a lot of talking, the last two chapters. I am trying to nudge it along so that we get at least one scene of -- primal connection! Between Peeta and Katniss!


	32. ANOTHER CONVERSATION BETWEEN KATNISS AND PEETA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta is sad; Katniss is sad.
> 
> Peeta's mother is worried.
> 
> The Sisters of Charity are worried.

The next morning, Peeta came for Katniss at the appointed time. He looked, if that were possible, even worse than he had the day before. Katniss knew she loved this man. Even with all his faults, she knew she loved him.

When Peeta caught sight of her, his entire face was transformed. Gone was the tiredness, gone the worry lines, gone everything but the look that made her think she herself was the sun, as if she had only just deigned to shed some of her warmth on him. She quickly said, "I have been asked to give music lessons to the children at the orphanage. It is not far; would you like to accompany me?"

Peeta nodded. "Of course!" he said. He extended his arm, and she slipped her own small one through it. They were quiet on the way, Peeta thinking he already knew what her answer was.

It was cold that morning, and a low fog had settled over the streets. There were very few people about. It was not even mid-day.

In his former life, or what he now thought of as his former life, the one he had lived in London, he was never up (out of his bedclothes) till 1 in the afternoon.

He followed close to Katniss, surreptitiously stealing glances at her. She wore her hair in a braid, but a tendril of hair had escaped and was now lying across her cheek. Peeta put up a hand and gently, carefully, pushed the tendril behind Katniss's ear. She looked up at him.

"Do you know," she said, coming to a full stop and waiting for him to do the same. "When I first saw you, it was at mass. You and -- her -- had come together with Lady Prim. She was dressed so magnificently. She was so beautiful, I had never seen anyone as beautiful."

Peeta would have stopped her but she put up a hand. "No, let me finish. You were with her that day. That was the first time I ever saw you. You sat next to Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch. I had to lead choir, but every chance I could, I stole a glance at the both of you. I thought: Now there is a handsome couple. I wish someday I could know the kind of love they feel for each other." A tear suddenly trickled down her cheek. Peeta gasped and put up his hand. She tried to avoid him but he stepped forward. He gently wiped her tears, letting them soak his glove.

"I know what you are trying to say, Katniss. Do not cry on my account. Please do not cry. I am not worth it." He bent and leaned his forehead against hers. "And you will not lose me, regardless. I will always be here." She reached up with both hands and clung to his shoulders.

*     *     *     *

They reached the orphanage. Katniss asked Peeta if he wanted to come inside, but he said he would take a walk, and then return for her when she was done. "How long is the class?" he asked.

"An hour," Katniss said.

"Then I will see you in an hour," Peeta said. She saw from his face how reluctant he was to leave her. But he was right; the children would be distracted by his presence.

Afterwards, Peeta was as good as his word and never left Katniss's side during his remaining days in York. People seeing the two together became quite accustomed to their presence.

The gentleman attended Evensong at Yorkminster, and when the woman began to sing, people saw him close his eyes. He never opened them again until the woman had done with her singing. And people thought it was a marvelous thing, that a handsome nobleman could be so transported by the music.

On the day before Peeta left York to return to his estate, he asked, carefully, of Katniss: "Would you mind very much if -- if I returned? May I visit you again?"

Katniss raised her head. She looked straight into his eyes. She knew the answer. Without her having to say a word, he knew as well. Then he held her hand again. But only that. He did not move closer.

*     *     *     *

When Peeta returned to his estate, his mother, Lady Laurentia, marked a change in him. He was somber, and not much given to conversation. This was in marked contrast to how he had been before he set out to visit his sister. Lady Laurentia wrote Prim an anxious letter, confiding all her worries about Peeta.

"Your brother," Lady Laurentia wrote, "is not himself. Did something occur while he was visiting? For he returned much changed, and tells me little."

But it was not only Peeta who had changed. The Sisters of Charity remarked that the Katniss who returned to them at the end of summer was far different from the girl who had gone to Lady Primrose's for a stay in the spring. She barely smiled and seemed to have lost her appetite. Singing alone seemed to sustain her.

The nuns (who were very fond of Katniss) began slowly increasing the amount of food they put on her plate, hoping to "fatten up her bones." But nothing would induce her to finish everything.

Being not unaware of the ways of the world (they were nuns, not hermits), they deduced the cause of Katniss's melancholy, and determined that at Peeta's next visit (Yes, from the way the man behaved, they were almost certain there would be a "next visit") one of them would take the young nobleman aside and get him to declare his intentions. For Katniss was far too gentle and pure of spirit to be toyed with. The sisters would see to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad, yes? Darn it, I felt so sad writing this!


	33. PEETA VISITS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satire! Involving the Sisters of Charity!
> 
> The part with the Sisters: Not meant to be serious.
> 
> Peeta said he would return and of course he does return! 
> 
> He invites Katniss to go for a walk. And their conversation gets longer, and longer, and longer and longer and I don't know it's taking so darn long . . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He is thinner. Katniss notices. That is all.

The Sisters had been keeping quite a sharp lookout for Peeta, the past several weeks. Unbeknownst to Katniss, they sometimes talked among themselves about him:

"Oh, a very fine-looking young man, indeed," a Sister said.

"Strong legs, it would appear," said another Sister, the one who had grown up on a farm with three older brothers and was always going on about her aching calves.

"Hush! She might hear!" said a third Sister.

"She won't hear a thing. She left for the cathedral."

And then they began chatting again. Many of the sisters were younger daughters of families that had not the means to feed them. It did not mean that they were not good, charitable souls. Only that they had not had much of a girlhood. And Peeta's regular appearance at their boarding house, those few days he was in York, set their tongues to wagging. It was quite the most exciting thing that had happened to them in years.

"He's in love with her, of course."

"Of course! Who wouldn't be! She is beautiful!"

"But not high-born."

"Not mental, you mean."

"Hush!" said another Sister. "One must not speak that way of others!"

"Did you hear that one screeching in front of the cathedral?"

"Yes, but -- "

"Sisters!" came the sharp voice of their Superior. "Back to your chores at once!"

Then they all dispersed, until the next time.

When Peeta did finally appear again, the Sisters marked at the change in his appearance. He had grown thin, the blue of his eyes had dulled. But he still had that same air of eagerness as he waited for Katniss at the front entrance.

Katniss was rushing out when a Sister caught her by the arm.

"Yes, Sister -- " Katniss said, turning.

"My dear!" said the Sister, giving each of Katniss's cheeks a hearty pinch. "You are so pale! Let us put a little color in your cheeks! What will your young man think!" She winked.

"He is _not_ my young man," Katniss said stiffly. Her cheeks _were_ flushed, however.

"Off you go!" the Sister said, giving Katniss a hearty pat on the shoulder that nearly sent the younger woman flying out the door.

Katniss stumbled -- straight into the waiting arms of Peeta!

"Oh! I am so sorry!" Katniss burst out, pressing away from Peeta with both hands against his chest.

She glanced quickly up at his face, and her breath caught. He was staring down at her with -- such a look!

Hastily, he released her. "Are you -- are you all right?" he asked her.

"Yes, of course!" Katniss said, righting herself. "I am so clumsy at times!"

"A beautiful day, isn't it!" came a voice floating out from behind the front door.

Peeta turned and stared at it, both eyebrows raised.

"Go for a walk now, you two!" came the voice again.

"Yes, thank you," Peeta said, still not knowing who he was speaking to, exactly. He turned back to Katniss. "Do you have a favorite walk, Katniss?"

There was some kind of noise from behind the door, and Peeta noticed Katniss's face getting red. "No, not really, but come let us walk that way," she said, grabbing Peeta's arm and directing him smartly away from the boarding house. Then, suddenly realizing how tightly she was holding on to Peeta's arm, she let go and stepped back. Peeta shook his head and smiled. He presented her with his elbow, and she gratefully slipped her hand through it. They began walking quietly together, what they were each feeling making words difficult.

Without forethought, they took the way that naturally led them away from the town. Here there were more trees. A lane led through a lush meadow, and up a low rise. They took it.

The day warmed, or perhaps it was the looks they kept giving each other -- surreptitiously, they imagined -- as they walked.

"I must be mad!" Peeta suddenly burst out. "To think you -- would ever want me." He stopped dead in his tracks and lifted his head, looking around as if recovering from a dream. "Where are we? Are we lost?"

"We are not lost, Peeta," Katniss said, taking his hand without thinking. "There is the town. Do you see?" She turned him gently. "Look!"

He laughed sheepishly and he suddenly seemed very young, not like the man of 24 but more like Katniss imagined he was before -- well, simply before.

"Shall we go back?" Katniss said.

"No!' he said at once.

"We must look for some shade, then. You seem a little -- tired?" Katniss said.

Peeta shook his head adamantly. "I am not tired. Let us continue."

"Are you positive?" Katniss said. She was worried about him; he was so thin now.

He tried to make light of it. "Why, my lady, is that a note of concern I detect in your voice?"

"Be serious, Peeta," Katniss said. "Are you well?"

"I am very well, always, when I am with you," he said, smiling still with that shy, schoolboy smile, as if he did not know how she would receive such a declaration, as if she might take offense at his cheekiness.

"Peeta . . . " Katniss said, shaking her head ruefully at him.

"I know," he said, in a more serious tone of voice. "You have nothing to fear from me, Katniss."

"I do not fear anything from you, Peeta," Katniss said, gravely. "I fear myself. Myself when I am with you." Then, reaching up with one hand, she brought his face down to hers and kissed him.

For a moment, their lips touched. Then he pulled back quickly and said, softly, "No . . . "

Katniss stared at him in disbelief: "You do not want me -- ?" she asked, simply and innocently.

With that, Peeta reached forward, cradled her face in his two hands, and gave her the kiss he'd been wanting to give her all afternoon. They finally broke apart. When Katniss looked at Peeta, she saw that his pupils were fat and black, his lips swollen. He leaned his forehead against hers. She brought both hands to the back of his neck and observed that the curls there were damp.

Katniss had never known she could have that kind of effect on a man. She brought her mouth to his neck, just to see what she could make him feel. He gasped. She could feel the hands resting on her waist start to tremble. His arms tightened around her, for just a moment, then he let go. "Katniss," he said, very gently, as he unwound her arms from his neck. "Don't."

She looked up at him and bit her lip. "Did you not like it?"

Peeta laughed. "Did I not like it?" He turned away from her. "I liked it. Too much, alas." He faced her, and she saw his eyes were stormy. "But I have vowed never to be that sort of man again."

"And I," Katniss cried, clenching her fists, "have sworn to be the kind of woman a man like you can love. One who loves not just with her mind, or with her heart, but with every fibre of her person! Including her body!"

Peeta walked up to her. "The question is _not_ whether I want you, Katniss, but whether _you_ can love someone like me. Someone who is as wretched -- and base -- as I have proven to be. I will ask you once more: Do _you_ want _me_?" His voice was low.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, then!
> 
> With that, I think I'll just end this chapter. 
> 
> I also wanted to make it clear that Peeta is NOT sick sick -- just "sick" with pining for Katniss. 
> 
> Don't worry: I would not have Peeta die, I'm not that bad. 
> 
> I can't even find the heart to kill off Lady Anne.
> 
> Are you all dying of shock at Katniss? I'm not. I always knew she was a "get-your-man" type of woman. I think Peeta is just beginning to realize what a formidable woman she really is. More than equal to Lady Anne.


	34. PRIVATE THOUGHTS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peeta recites (from memory) a poem by John Donne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY for taking it slow, means more chapters!

They walked back together, in good spirits. Katniss had not answered Peeta's question yet. _Do you want me?_ He had made it so very clear what he was prepared to do, if her answer was Yes, but somehow she had withheld that word, wanting to keep a little bit of herself private. At least, until Peeta's next visit.

Now, there are those among you who will say that, by not answering, by keeping Peeta waiting, she was herself falling into a kind of game-playing, precisely that kind of game-playing that had ultimately led to Lady Anne's downfall. But, there you have it. Katniss was but a woman. A woman who was learning her power over a man. And she did not wish to rush the process.

That night, after the service at York Minster, Katniss had returned home, Peeta promising that he would be back the next day (He was staying at an inn for several nights). Katniss usually changed swiftly, slipping into a plain white nightshift and sliding under the covers as quickly as she could. The nuns did not heat the house at night. It was chilly in her room, and as she paid for the candles herself, she was sparing with their use.

Tonight, however, just as she was preparing to don her nightshift, something made her pause, reach for the candle, and bring it closer to her body. She had no mirror, and the Sisters did not have any in the house. But she found herself examining, for the first time, her calves, her feet, her waist, her breasts. The breasts, in particular, gave her pause. They were so small -- at least, when compared to Lady Anne's.

She recalled Peeta's looks that afternoon. She had not mistaken it -- he had looked at her chest. Even beneath her plain dress, he had divined -- something. Something that he wanted very badly. She could tell, now.

She closed her eyes. She saw once again Peeta's face, and the dark shadows under his eyes. She hoped that being with her would help him to sleep better tonight.

She blew out the candle and slid beneath her blanket. She closed her eyes. Then, the twisted face of Lady Anne appeared before her eyes. "She-devil!" Lady Anne spat at her. Katniss did not flinch. In the dark room, she raised her voice to the spectre: "It is you who are the devil, not I. And I shall never rest until I have delivered Peeta from the horror of you." The spectre was very quickly laid to rest after that.

*     *     *     *

The next day, Peeta arrived at the appointed time, and this time they fell into an easier discourse. As if by mutual (unspoken) agreement, they went in the opposite direction from the path they had taken the previous day. He had brought along a pair of books, which he said he had intended to give her yesterday; in his hurry to get to her he had left them behind at the inn. She smiled gratefully as she inspected them. One was a collection of poetry by a woman Katniss had never heard of (not only had Katniss never heard of the name, she had not known that there could be such a thing as "a woman poet"), and the other was a collection by a man whose name Katniss recognized: John Donne.

Peeta began to recite, from memory, a Donne poem:

 

_Twice or thrice had I loved thee,_

_Before I knew thy face or name;_

_So in a voice, so in a shapeless flame,_

_Angels affect us oft, and worshipped be._

 

By the time he finished reciting, Katniss had tears in her eyes. "It is beautiful," she whispered.

"It is called 'Air and Angels,' " Peeta said. "It was meant for you, I think."

*     *     *     *

The time passed all too quickly. Before they knew it, it was time for Peeta to return to his estate. They had never had the opportunity to be alone again, or to proceed to that spot in the meadow where they had felt, for the space of an afternoon, such freedom. Now, it was all Katniss could think of, but she avoided the subject and Peeta did as well. Perhaps they both feared what might happen if left to themselves.

Peeta thought again of asking her to marry him. But it had only been a month . . .

"Katniss," he said hesitantly. They were almost to the boarding house. They had been walking most of the afternoon, their steps carrying them hither and thither, neither of them noticing much of anything except the time, which seemed to be running out much too quickly. The next day he must go.

"If I may, if I do not appear too presumptuous . . . " he said.

"Yes," Katniss said.

"Yes?" Peeta said, looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Yes to whatever it is," Katniss said.

"Well, you would, would you?"

"Yes. So now ask me."

"Well, I was going to invite you to visit my estate. Meet my -- family. Umm -- " He paused, his face aflame with embarrassment. "It would be an honor. I mean, for you to meet -- umm. My mother."

*     *     *     *

The next morning, Peeta journeyed home to his estate with a feeling of renewed hope.

His mother awaited him with trepidation, remembering the state in which he returned the last time. And she had worked out a plan with her daughter -- one which involved inviting guests to spend a week. She had in mind one guest in particular, a woman she wanted very much to meet.

"Mother!" Peeta said, coming in the front door with great alacrity and giving her a hearty kiss on the cheek. His eye was bright, his manner -- joyous?  The difference in him left his mother quite speechless.


	35. A BALL AT PEETA'S ESTATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a jump. A month has passed, and Katniss has arrived at Peeta's estate, and is attending a ball hosted by Lady Laetitia (Peeta's mother)

Katniss was hot where Peeta touched her, at the small of her back. She was wearing a dress she had sewn herself. It was a simple, wintery grey gown that reflected the color of her eyes. The neckline was high, not like those of the other ladies present, some of whose bosoms were almost completely exposed. Lady Delilah, who was Peeta's second cousin, had a thin scrap of lace affixed over her heaving bosom and since she was an excitable woman (when not in the presence of her husband, an elderly man named Lord Cray), her breasts were in constant motion.

Katniss averted her head. She wished only to concentrate on Peeta, who had never looked so handsome. His blue eyes shone, and she very much wished it were just the two of them together dancing. But of course, she could never be alone with Peeta anymore, it was not seemly, everyone watched him (and her) and she knew they were remarking on her complexion (She was much darker than the ordinary Englishwoman; she had not told Peeta yet that her father, a soldier in the British Army, who had disappeared in India, was a quarter Indian)

Peeta's hand moved up to grasp her elbow. She was wearing long, white silk gloves (not her own; Prim had insisted she wear them tonight). He turned her this way and that, introducing her to heaven knows how many people, it was making her head spin. There were a few young, unmarried ladies present. She did not like the way they tittered in his presence, tapping him on the chest with their ivory fans. One even rested her tiny hand on his arm, for several minutes. Katniss wished she could tear the woman's eyes out. After a few minutes, Peeta led her away, and Katniss heaved a sigh of relief. Peeta removed his hand from her elbow, but it was only so that he could rest it, briefly, at the small of her back, on the pretense of leading her towards the punch. With his thumb, he stroked her gently through her dress. Katniss could not help sighing.

"Are you all right?" Peeta asked, brows raised quizzically. "Are you tired?"

Since she had only arrived the day before, she was indeed tired, but she bestowed a kind smile on him. Lady Laetitia had received Katniss in the formal drawing room, and Katniss's nervousness had been alleviated by the welcome presence of Lady Prim, who had embraced her warmly and told her how much she had missed her.

Katniss assured Peeta that she was fine. Inside, she had wanted to scream. She had hardly slept.

"Peeta!" came a voice from somewhere behind them. Both turned to find Lord Plutarch elbowing his way through a group of guests. "The devil! I didn't know there were this many people in the country! In November!"

Peeta laughed. Lord Plutarch was known to hate social gatherings. He only attended the ones his wife forced him to attend. "My wife is somewhere, the deuce knows where. I shall have to hang about with you. That is," here Lord Plutarch turned to Katniss and gave her a bow, "if the Lady does not object."

Seized by a sudden playfulness, Katniss curtsied low. Lord Plutarch's mouth fell open. Then Katniss slipped an arm through his. "Come, let us dance!" she said. Lord Plutarch let himself be led onto the dance floor, his mouth still open. Katniss didn't glance behind her, but she could feel Peeta's stare, every step of the way. She smiled to herself, imagining what he must be thinking (and feeling).

*     *     *     *

The ball was finally, finally over. Katniss's feet were aching murderously. After the dance with Lord Plutarch, Peeta had insisted on the next dance. And the next. And then someone else had asked to dance with her. And then someone else. The names were all a jumble in her head now. She lay back in bed, still wide awake, every nerve in her body jangling.

There was a soft tap at the door.

Katniss put on her robe, walked to the door, and then said hesitantly, "Who is it?"

"Peeta."

She opened the door and he quickly slipped inside. He closed the door behind him and turned and faced her, not moving forward. He simply stood there, silent, letting his eyes drink her in.

"Is everything all right?" she asked him.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yes," he said. "And you? Are you all right?"

Katniss nodded.

"Do you have everything you need?" Peeta whispered.

"Yes, thank you," Katniss said.

Peeta cleared his throat. "You handled yourself well this evening."

She tilted her head and studied him for a moment. "Thank you," she said again.

"Balls are such dull affairs," Peeta said.

"Yes, they are," she agreed. "And this was only my second. I would be quite happy if I never had to attend another ball in my entire life."

Peeta smiled, but there was something bitter in his eyes. "I sometimes wonder -- " he began, then stopped.

"What?" Katniss said.

"I sometimes wonder if I had been born -- someone else. What would that be like?"

"What? Work with your hands for a living? You would not like it," Katniss said. "I assure you, every laborer would change places with you in an instant."

"But _you_ would not change places with any of the fine ladies you met this evening."

Katniss sighed. "You are right. I would not."

"Do you not find it dreadfully dull -- my life? My interests?"

"Peeta," Katniss said, "This may be your life, but these are _not_ your interests. Well, not your _only_ interests. When I look at you, I see a man who has curiosity, and courage, and more than enough passion -- " She let her voice die away, overwhelmed by the intensity she saw in his expression.

He dropped his eyes. "You do so much for me, Katniss. I am ashamed to admit it." Before she could utter a word, he had slipped out the door.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hoping to make this a sexy interlude but instead it ended up being a conversation about their differing lifestyles.


	36. PRIM TAKES KATNISS TO SEE A CHAPEL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tweaked this chapter so that it was both Prim and Katniss's first time to see the chapel. Prim's reactions -- to the dust, etc -- seemed to contradict the way I had this chapter written at first, so I decided to make the visit to the chapel her first time as well. She heard about the murals Peeta was painting from her mother.
> 
> Also, the second mural has a bit of a discrepancy in the time frame. I'll explain it in the end notes.

"Would you like to see the chapel, Katniss?" Prim asked the day after the ball.

"There is a chapel here?" Katniss said, astonished.

"Yes, it's very old," Prim said. "Time of Edward II, I believe."

"That would be centuries gone?" Katniss said.

"Yes, well, it was in abominable disrepair, but Peeta has been working on it," Prim said.

"What do you mean 'working on it,' Katniss said. _Why had Peeta never mentioned it to her?_

"He's been painting the interior walls, covering them with murals. I think he's got two walls done. Would you like to see?"

"Yes, I would love to see it," Katniss said.

The two women walked over a rise and down into some trees, and there was the chapel.

It was very small. Someone had been working on the roof because there was a tall ladder propped against a wall. The walls were old grey stone.

Prim poked at a door with the toe of her boot and made a face. "I hope there are no beetles," she whispered to Katniss. "I abhor them. I might scream if I see one."

"Here, let me open the door," Katniss said. "I am not afraid of any beetles."

She gave the door a firm push with both hands. It creaked inwards with a loud groan. Great was her astonishment to see Peeta inside, his face smudged with paint. He turned hastily. He was wearing an old shirt, that he had not bothered to tuck into his britches.

After he got over his initial shock, Peeta said: "I apologize, if I'd known you were coming I would have cleaned up. I'm afraid it's a bit of a mess in here." He put down the brush he'd been holding and wiped his hands on his trousers, which were also streaked with paint.

"I told Katniss about the murals you are painting," Prim said.

Katniss paid no attention to either of them. Instead, her eyes were fixed on the wall right behind Peeta. He had painted a landscape, all quick brushstrokes of green and yellow. At the top of a hill was a pergola. In it stood two figures, a man and a woman. Their figures had not yet been completely filled in, but the man was fair-haired. The woman standing next to him had hair black as a raven's feathers.

"It's beautiful," Katniss burst out. She looked at Peeta. "How long have you been working on this?"

He flushed. "Since I returned to the estate," he said.

"You never said you were a painter," Katniss said, half-accusingly.

"I am not!" Peeta said. "It was a childhood hobby of mine . . . "

"Peeta has always loved to paint," Prim interjected. "My father encouraged him. They traveled to Italy once, when Peeta was nine. And he hasn't stopped talking about Italy since. I stayed home because I was only five and besides, my mother would have been too lonely."

Katniss stepped up to get a closer look at the mural and Peeta said hastily, "It isn't finished. The paint is still wet."

"Honestly, Peeta," Prim said, "why is this one taking so long? You finished the other one in barely two weeks, according to mother."

"Well, sister," Peeta said. "I have less time now than when I first came. I have begun various projects, making improvements to the property, that sort of thing." He turned to his sister, "Our mother was rather inclined to let things go."

Prim nodded. "Yes, she was."

"Where is the other?" Katniss asked.

Peeta turned to her in surprise.

"Prim, did you not tell me there were two?" Katniss said.

"Yes, indeed, there are two," Peeta confirmed. "The other is towards the back. You must watch your step," Peeta warned. He hurried ahead of them and began swatting with his hands at a few cobwebs.

Prim made a face. "Oh, dear. We are going to get quite dusty. I should have worn my old clothes."

Katniss gave Prim a worried look. "I do not have to see the other one today." She looked at Peeta, an unspoken question hanging in the air.

"Perhaps tomorrow?" he said.

Prim gave a defiant shake of her head. "I should stop being such a baby. I'm eager to see it myself. I only heard about it from Mother."

"Your mother came here?" Katniss said. She found it difficult to imagine the handsome lady she'd met only a few days before walking into the dusty chapel.

"Yes," Peeta said. "I described it for her and nothing would do but she must see it for herself."

"Lead the way!" Prim said.

Peeta led them to a small alcove, lit by two tall, narrow windows.

"There used to be a painting here," Peeta explained. "But it was ruined by water damage from the leaky roof. I decided to paint a mural in its place."

Katniss saw what looked like the portrait of a family: A fair-haired man, very like Peeta in appearance, held two little boys on his lap. The older boy had hair more brown than gold, and blue eyes. The younger one -- Katniss knew at once who this younger boy was: he had Peeta's golden hair and vivid blue eyes. The woman seated next to the man was also fair-haired. Her eyes were a deep violet. She held an infant girl in her arms. Katniss knew immediately who the infant was.

"Oh, Peeta!" Prim burst out. "You have painted us! Your have painted our family!"

"Yes," Peeta said. "It is our family." He turned to Katniss. "I had an older brother, Mark. He passed away when I was just two. There's a portrait of him in my parents' bedroom, and I worked from that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Peeta has been keeping himself very busy! And a painter works with his hands -- so there you go, he's not your typical English nobleman.
> 
> Peeta's older brother, Mark (mentioned in an earlier chapter), passed away when Peeta was two. Prim is four years younger than Peeta. So, by the time she was born, Mark had already passed away. But, for this portrait, Peeta decided to paint each member of the family together -- that's what you call artistic license!


	37. THE LOVERS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little groping (on a path), and then a little bit more to close the chapter, hope it's not too much. 
> 
> A formal engagement is announced at the dinner table.

Peeta had decided to walk back with Katniss and Prim. They waited while he dropped his brushes in a bottle of turpentine and tried wiping off as much of the paint as he could from his hands. The women laughed at him when they noticed there was some paint in his hair.

Katniss was happy Peeta had decided to walk back with them, however. The week was proving harder than she cared to admit. Not that she hadn't been made to feel welcome; it was just that she longed to have Peeta to herself, but they had no time for that. It was his home, his life. He was busy, and engaged. Katniss felt as if she were watching everything from the outside. There were more than a few times when she felt as though she didn't belong there.

But, today, she was happy. She had slept well. And she had loved seeing the chapel. Peeta was truly a talented artist. It was yet another side of him she was discovering.

"Are you well, Katniss?" Peeta's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Yes," Katniss answered. "Quite well."

She glanced up quickly and saw that Prim had moved a little ahead of them. Prim said, without turning her head, "You two take your time. I have to look for Plutarch."

Prim quickened her steps. Soon, it was just Katniss and Peeta on the path. They let their hands dangle as they walked, so that occasionally their fingers tangled. But Peeta did not reach for her hand. Katniss thought it was perhaps this detachment that was adding to her feeling of tiredness. In her distraction, she stopped watching the path, and her shoe snagged on something. Her right hip bumped slightly against Peeta and he immediately put out a hand to steady her. Then, suddenly, he was facing her and tilting her chin up with one hand, and his lips were on hers.

The pressure of his mouth on hers was light; it was not enough for her. She reached up and curled one hand at the back of his head, to pull him closer. He rocked his hips into her. Then his hands were moving over her body. Katniss felt as though she was experiencing touch for the first time in her life.

He kissed her lips again and again, and each time Katniss parted her mouth a little more. And then he was panting into her mouth. Both of his arms were curled around her waist. Katniss reached down, took one of his hands, and placed it on her breast. At this, he gasped and pressed into her even more. Katniss began to tremble. Peeta's hand held her right breast through her dress. His touch was gentle but also firm. He thrust his hips into her and suddenly she cried out and pressed her face against his shoulder. Peeta stopped instantly.

Katniss was trembling. He embraced her and whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean -- did I frighten you?"

Katniss shook her head, not daring to lift her face. Gradually, her breaths slowed. "Is that what it is like?" she murmured.

"What is?" Peeta asked, and kissed her forehead.

"I want to take a nap," she whispered.

Peeta laughed. "You are a wonder, my Katniss."

She leaned into him a little more, and then they broke apart and slowly resumed their walk back to the house. Peeta held her hand and did not let go.

That evening, at dinner, Lady Laurentia said, "Peeta, is there something you wish to tell us?"

The announcement (which of course we all knew was coming) was that Earl Peeta had proposed to Katniss, and she had accepted, to no one's surprise.

Peeta wanted the date to be set early -- that is, before Christmas. That was only a month away. His mother and Lady Prim argued for spring. In the meantime, where would Katniss live? Katniss said that she would live with the Sisters of Charity until her engagement. This proposal was met with protests from Peeta. Then, Lady Laurentia proposed Katniss staying with Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch.

"You no doubt have family you wish to inform, Katniss?" Lady Laurentia inquired.

Katniss replied, "I have no family but one, and he may be dead, there has been no sign or word from him for over 15 years."

At this, everyone reacted with shock and pity. But Katniss simply said, "I was raised by my grandmother, in a cottage belonging to Lord Plutarch. She passed away two years ago and I have supported myself ever since."

"Oh, my dear!" Lady Laurentia burst out. "Should we not make an attempt to find your father? What if he is still living? Would he not want to know how you fare?"

"I have long put in my mind," Katniss said gravely, "that my father is dead. For the other possibility -- that he is alive but has forgotten about me -- is too painful to bear."

*     *     *     *

When they had all retired for the night, Katniss sat in her room, trying to read a book. But her thoughts were scattered. The mention of her long-vanished father made her melancholy in the extreme. Was there a possibility he was still alive, somewhere in India? Had he truly forgotten her?

She heard the light tap on her door, close to midnight, and she flew to open it. Peeta entered quickly. Their lips met again. This time, his tongue was more insistent, prying her lips apart in a hungry kiss. When Katniss could finally breathe again, a few minutes later, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed back gently. "We must wait," she said.

Peeta groaned and leaned his forehead against hers. "Oh, that these months would pass more quickly," he said. Lady Laurentia had insisted on a spring wedding, over Peeta's protests. Now, Peeta pressed into her again, and Katniss felt the length of him against her center. But only moments later, he was gone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know -- these nightly visits are highly improper, etc Eventually, Katniss will leave the estate and return to the Sisters of Charity. Which is good because they can wait until the wedding. 
> 
> Stay tuned.


	38. KATNISS AND PEETA REFLECT ON THE WEEK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fortunately, before things can get too heated between her and Peeta, Katniss returns to the Sisters of Charity.
> 
> Katniss's reflections are followed by Peeta's reflections.
> 
> We learn that Peeta did see a doctor, after Finnick warned him, and the doctor gave Peeta a clean bill of health.

At the end of the week allotted for the visit, Katniss was more and more ready to return to York. Peeta's mother, Lady Laurentia, had proved gracious but not affectionate. Not that Lady Laurentia did not trust Peeta's choice of a bride. She was generally that way, Peeta explained to Katniss. She had been brought up to be rather sparing in showing her emotions.

Lady Prim had been a delight, Lord Plutarch had shown his usual phlegmatic demeanor, and of course Peeta had been there, always attentive, always charming. At night, he would slip in her room and they exchanged heated kisses, but that (luckily) was as far as it went.

Katniss did not sleep very well. When the week was up, Lady Prim remarked that she seemed to have lost weight. In someone so slight, this was not generally taken as a good thing.

Peeta insisted on accompanying her back to York. He did not ride with her in the carriage, of course. Unsupervised carriage rides were very harmful to the reputation of unmarried ladies, even if the man sharing the carriage was her betrothed.

Katniss was effusively welcomed by the Sisters of Charity, and they invited Peeta to "have a cup of tea" with them, but he excused himself, claiming fatigue. He bid Katniss good-bye in front of the Sisters, bending and pressing a fervent kiss to the back of her hand. He would see her the next morning, before returning to his estate.

Katniss had an early dinner with the Sisters. She had dreaded this moment of her return, for she knew they would press her for details of her visit. When she (eventually, after much prodding) informed them of her engagement, the questions, rather than subsiding, came thicker and faster, and she had been quite overwhelmed. It was only when the Mother Superior called attention to her tiredness that she was able to escape to her room.

It was there, in the security of being in familiar surroundings, that Katniss allowed her mind to play over the events of the week just passed. What she had enjoyed most about visiting Peeta's estate was seeing him with his family -- his mother and sister obviously adored him -- and with the people who worked for him. He was unfailingly respectful to all, whether high-born or no, and she could see that his people were happy to have him among them. She recalled the visit to the chapel, and her feelings at seeing his art, particularly the second, unfinished mural -- the one that showed a couple standing inside a pergola. She could not, of course, stop thinking about the taste of his lips and the way he had pressed his body into hers, on the way back to the house. Indeed, when she remembered how it had felt to be so kissed, she could not help a flush creeping into her cheeks. She went to bed thinking of his eyes -- gentle and yet fierce with desire -- and about his hair, the way it felt beneath her fingers.

She was to return to his estate for the holidays, but there would be many more people, as then the engagement would be announced at a formal dinner, and she would have to endure the scrutiny of all Peeta's uncles and aunts and cousins, even the ones who resided farther away than London. And then there would be the Christmas banquet. And then New Year's. Though Katniss longed to be with Peeta, the thought of so much hectic activity quite overwhelmed her. She sighed and closed her eyes. She must have been more fatigued than she realized, for she fell asleep at almost the moment she laid her head on her pillow.

*     *     *     *

Peeta, for his part, lay on his bed in the inn and thought of his life, and how much he longed to be starting the new phase with Katniss. His mother liked her; at least, she had said she did. She was not opposed to the wedding ("My dear boy, you have been through enough" was the first thing she had said when he told her he was in love.)

Katniss had been the soul of patience. She had endured evenings with his mother, and the ball (He had not been in charge of that guest list, and he wondered at the presence of a number of young, unmarried ladies. Their presence only seemed to remind him of his former life, a life he had tried his best to cut off)

Somehow, tendrils of rumor still reached him, out in the country. From Paris, noises of the scandal of Anne's last lover. She was still in Bath, being attended to by Finnick's aunt and the best doctor Finnick could afford. Peeta himself, for a space of a few weeks, had been deathly afraid. Without telling his mother or Prim or even Katniss, he had sent for a doctor, one known for his discretion. The doctor confirmed that Peeta was healthy; he had not been infected, a knowledge which had filled Peeta with the greatest relief and happiness.

He wondered whether Lord Finnick were still in London, or whether he had returned to India, where it was rumored he had a sweetheart. Then he remembered his mother's bringing up of Katniss's father. What kind of father was that (if indeed he were still alive), who showed not one iota of concern about his daughter?

In the end, he chose to put those thoughts aside and concentrate on the image of Katniss's lovely face. He remembered how hard it had been to stay away, how he had gone to her room, night after night. It was sheer madness. If anyone had caught them -- but then, if someone had, he would have married Katniss immediately and there would be an end to the pretending. Instead, now, there would be months of infernal waiting.

And he was not sure he could wait.

 _But you must_ , he berated himself. _You must be a different sort of man, now._


	39. FAREWELL FOR NOW, MY LOVE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parting is such sweet sorrow . . . particularly for Everlark.
> 
> Drat, I hate long engagements. Now I have to write long, long, meandering chapters until the next encounter.
> 
> This is a very romantic chapter, lots of longing looks, etc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just added: a conversation with Lady Prim, where Katniss learns of the sad fate of Darius, Lady Anne's former lover.

They stood together in the pocket garden at the front of her boarding house, and Katniss was very sad.

"In a month," Peeta said. "I shall come and fetch you. We shall be together for Christmas."

She had the feeling of such sadness, such loneliness . . . She did not doubt there were people watching, so she only took a step back and folded her hands, and looked sadly at Peeta: his eyes, his lips, his hair.

"May I kiss -- your cheek, at least?" Peeta asked.

She nodded. Peeta stepped closer and she lifted her face. She felt the warm press of his lips on her own very cold cheek (They had been outside for almost an hour). "I shall write," she said, not sure how long it would take for the post. But of course she would write, it would make her feel less lonely.

"And I shall think of you every day," Peeta said. Suddenly, he scrubbed at the back of his neck. "I wish I had thought -- to commission a miniature. I would have had your likeness to ease my longing."

Katniss loved it when Peeta spoke of his longing. She wished he would continue, but he stayed silent, merely looking at her, as though trying to memorize her features. "But the weeks will pass very quickly," Katniss eventually thought to say.

Peeta looked miserable. "Not quickly enough," he said. "I wish I had never let my mother persuade me on a spring wedding."

Katniss quickly put a hand over his. "Hush. It is for the best. You know, it would be unseemly to marry -- in haste. And I do love flowers. Daffodils, especially. I shall have a bouquet of daffodils at my wedding."

"I shall shower you in daffodils," Peeta said. "I will wreathe your hair, your neck, your shoulders . . . "

"Peeta!" Katniss put a hand on his arm, then stepped back. "In a month," she said, reassuringly.

"In a month," Peeta repeated, biting his lower lip (How Katniss loved it when he did that! If she could just -- lean forward. A quick press of the lips . . . )

"Well -- " He gave her hand a squeeze, and then let go. She watched him.

*     *     *    *

Peeta began composing a letter as soon as he arrived at his estate.

_My Dearest Katniss,_

_These next weeks will be long, but I shall occupy myself by preparing a room for you, a room I will fill with books._ _A quiet space, where you can be by yourself, if you so choose. And read._

_It shall have a desk, should you choose to write something. Anything. And the desk I will place beneath a high window. The window will look out on to a garden planted with daffodils. In the winter, though, you will need something else to look at, so I will plant trees of elder and ash._

_And then you will be at home. I long to see your clothes hanging beside mine. Your face shining in my mirrors._

_With all my love,_

_Peeta_

_*     *     *     *_

Though the next four weeks passed exceedingly slowly for both the young couple, Katniss was helped immeasurably by Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch, who came without fail every Sunday, and told her about the "improvements" Peeta was making on his estate. Now and then Prim would let drop that Peeta seemed quite wretched, and that he sometimes mentioned he wished the spring would come sooner, or that he had never consented to put off the wedding until spring.

"But otherwise," Lady Prim would tell Katniss, "he is doing quite well."

Lady Laetitia, on the other hand, had lately had a fever and spent more time in bed than she spent out of it.

"My mother has ever been sickly," Lady Prim said. "It is a blessing neither Peeta nor I took after her."

When the Sisters of Charity learned of Lady Laetitia's poor health, they began to keep her in their daily prayers (as they had been doing for Katniss and, it might as well be said, for Peeta as well, for despite the talk that had gone round York about him, they simply could not think ill of a young man who _their_ Katniss clearly loved so deeply)

In the second week of December, just a few days before Peeta was to fetch Katniss, Lady Prim was at Sunday service with a rather glum expression. Fearing it was something to do with Peeta's mother or, worse, with Peeta himself, Katniss went to Lady Prim directly the service was over and asked if anything was troubling her. At first, Lady Prim attempted to deflect Katniss's questions, but seeing as Katniss persisted, she finally acknowledged that she had lately been in London, and heard that one of Lady Anne's former lovers, Darius, had passed away.

Katniss did not wish to hear anything more, but Lady Prim, having cracked open the gate, decided to go full speed ahead and said, "Well, it was very sad, my dear, for he and his wife had two children, and even though they had been separated, one would have thought she would attend the funeral. But she did not."

"Oh!" Katniss said, dismayed. She was very innocent in such matters and did not put two and two together until Lady Prim said, "That is what he gets for living such a dissolute life, I suppose."

 

 

 


	40. THE UNTOWARD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss has a fainting spell! Lady Prim sends for Peeta. Peeta makes a confession to Katniss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Katniss finding out from Lady Prim the cause of Darius's demise + Sisters of Charity reviving Katniss after she thinks Peeta may have the same thing because he and Darius shared a lover (Lady Anne) is satire, pure satire. Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

At Prim's last words, Katniss fell down in a dead faint. For you see, she had put two and two together after all.

Darius had led a dissolute life, and therefore he caught a sickness that killed him. Lady Anne had been his lover, and she too was very ill, and was being attended to by a doctor. But Peeta . . .

Too late, Lady Prim realized the thoughts that entered Katniss's mind: thoughts about Peeta, his connection with Lady Anne. Was it not only six months ago that they had been together? Katniss cared nothing for herself, but if Peeta were not well . . . Katniss was quite sure she would not survive it.

Lady Prim at once called for assistance, and Katniss, still insensate, was delivered to the boarding house in Lady Prim's carriage. The whole way over, Lady Prim held Katniss's hand and sobbed.

Finally, later that day, Katniss opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Lady Prim's tearful countenance, and she nearly fainted again, so great was her anxiety about Peeta.

But the Sisters of Charity were very handy with the smelling salts, and with the chamomile tea, and their soothing voices (as well as a cold compress applied to Katniss's forehead) brought her round again.

"Katniss! Forgive me! I have been amiss -- " Lady Prim said.

"Please," Katniss said, putting her hand on Prim's. "How is Peeta? He must see a doctor. At once! I cannot rest until I know he is well."

"Oh, he is well! Never fear! Peeta is perfectly healthy! I am sorry! I should never have brought up the subject . . . " and then Lady Prim's voice fell away, as she remembered that she was surrounded by nuns, and the information about how Darius had reached his end was too sordid for their ears, and probably for Katniss's.

"I cannot rest," Katniss said brokenly, "until I see for myself, with my own two eyes, that Peeta is well."

"He is well, my dear Katniss, and he is on his way. I sent for him this morning. I did not know -- I am so sorry -- "

*     *     *     *

Peeta arrived toward evening, his face black as thunder. Katniss was sitting up in the Sisters' wee front parlor (which was only used for _very_ special visitors), but she was practically cocooned in blankets (at the insistence of the Sisters). Lady Prim was sitting next to her, holding her hand, a contrite expression on her face.

"Katniss!" Peeta cried, the instant he saw her, and rushed forward, oblivious to everyone else in the room (which included, aside from his sister, the Mother Superior)

"I am all right, Peeta. Truly," Katniss said, as he grabbed her hands.

Lady Prim stood and said, "I shall be outside, Peeta."

The Mother Superior stood as well. It was then that Peeta remembered his manners. He addressed an apology to the Mother Superior and introduced himself. She nodded kindly, and then announced that she had matters to attend to and would not return for perhaps an hour. Peeta nodded gratefully. Then, Lady Prim and the Mother Superior exited the parlor.

"Peeta -- " Katniss said, her lips trembling a bit.

"Katniss," Peeta said, taking a seat beside her. "I came as soon as I heard."

"I am all right. Perfectly all right. It was simply the shock, you know. Of hearing -- you know about Darius?"

Peeta lowered his head. "Yes," he said, very low.

"Peeta, the cause of his death was -- "

"Syphilis," Peeta said.

Katniss was not quite sure what that was, but it must have been making Peeta sick to say it. In fact, his face had turned quite ashen. "You acquire it by -- "

"Katniss," he said, holding her hands more firmly. "It is acquired by having -- relations. Intimate relations. With an infected." He stopped and looked at her face. "You understand?"

"Yes," she said. "Did he get it from -- ?"

"No," Peeta said. "He gave it to her."

Katniss's mouth was a perfect O of astonishment. "HE gave it to -- Lady Anne? Is that what ails her?"

"Yes," Peeta said. He was very ashamed.

"Then, are you -- ?" Katniss said, not daring to say her thought.

Peeta shook his head. "No." His next utterance was almost a whisper. "But, Katniss, I had anxiety enough to see a doctor."

"You saw a doctor? When?" Katniss asked.

"Lord Finnick came to me at the inn here, after Lady Anne was taken to Bath. He cautioned me. He did not need to. I had no relations with the lady. I had broken off with her at the last ball I attended in London. I was already in love with you. I have loved you, and only you, for months. But he was under the impression she and I were still having -- intimate -- relations. And if so, he thought it was only proper for him to inform me of the danger I was in."

"Oh," Katniss said. She sat very still. Peeta could see that her mind was still working. "Why," she finally asked, "did you not tell me? That you and Lord Finnick had spoken?"

"I was ashamed," he said softly.

Peeta looked at Katniss and saw tears were threatening to spill from her eyes.

"My God, Katniss. I am in love with you. I have not been with her since -- a long time since. It is too terrible, everything. I do not wish my past to crush you. Please forgive me."

Then Peeta began to tell her that he would not blame her if she thought he was a bad man. He said he had been a coward, that he had given over to excess and indulgence. He said that when he thought of the things he had done, and of the wrong he had done -- not only to Lady Anne but to her, Katniss -- he hated himself in the extreme. Katniss began to tremble again. Placing both hands over her ears she said, in as loud a voice as she could manage, "Stop!"

Peeta was so startled that he stopped speaking.

Then, gathering herself, Katniss said, "You are a good man. You never give up striving to be better. That makes you good. To my way of thinking, that makes you good. More good than the penitent who flays himself with whips. That is what made me fall in love with you . . . "

Peeta looked at her. She could see hope start to build in his eyes.

And then she said, "You must have been at least a little bit in love with her, to have tried so hard to please her . . . but it does not make you a bad man, Peeta. On the contrary, it makes you -- good. It is only natural, those feelings between a man and a woman."

Peeta simply stared. He could not help himself.

"I know, such thoughts may seem -- strange," Katniss said. "I never thought I could speak so openly about -- men and women. But I know that to you I can speak plainly, I know you will not think me mad . . . "

"Where have you come from?" Peeta finally burst out.

"I do not understand -- " Katniss said.

"You are an angel, Katniss. You do not blame me for -- before?"

"No, Peeta," she said. Her eyes were burning. But she must tell him what she truly felt. "I do not blame you." She closed her eyes. It had taken great effort to listen to him. And then, to collect herself enough to say something. She had not known exactly what she would say, until she had said it. But after she had spoken, she was satisfied. She was just, all of a sudden, rather tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to keep tweaking the conversation between Katniss and Peeta. Hard for Peeta to finally come clean and tell Katniss that he was actually worried enough to have himself examined by a doctor. So the extent of what he did with Lady Anne is completely out in the open now.
> 
> I realized the chapter was getting longer and longer, but I didn't want to break the conversation and then begin a new chapter. I'll just keep going until these two have completely talked it out. I decided to make Katniss very up-front and plain-spoken. For a young woman of that time, it's pretty amazing. But This Katniss IS pretty amazing. So . . . I hope you believe in her as much as I do.
> 
> And she will get to know *ALL* of Peeta . . . I'll try and make it soon.


	41. THE PUNISHMENT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, what?
> 
> I re-did this chapter. It put me in a corner, writing Peeta the way I did the first time. No, no, no. 
> 
> Sorry, I was in such a rush to make things happen.

When Katniss finally opened her eyes, she saw Peeta was sitting very close to her. The blue of his eyes was fading to black. His lips were so close . . .

"You are blind if you do not see my faults," he said. There was a new huskiness to his voice.

Katniss swallowed and closed her eyes. "I do see your faults," she said.

"I wonder . . . " he said.

"Your lust, I see that," Katniss said.

He sat back a little. "And -- "

"Cowardice."

"I see."

"You want me, and therefore you will say anything. And -- you are waiting for me to punish you."

Peeta stood. "And as for -- us. Where do we stand now?"

Katniss thought for a moment. "You will say you are in Hell if I refuse to see you again."

Peeta cocked his head. "I was thinking somewhat along those lines, yes."

"I shall not say that, then."

Peeta stood expectantly.

"I shall put you in a sort of -- gray area."

Peeta's eyebrows rose. He waited.

"It will be -- halfway -- between Hell and here."

"What sort of punishment do you have in mind?" Peeta asked.

"I must think on it."

"Are you still coming to the Estate next week? I was planning to fetch you."

"I may. Do not press me right now."

Peeta stared at her. "So this is how you are going to have your revenge."

"I am not seeking revenge," Katniss said. "But I am tired of talking. I myself cannot explain my thoughts at the moment."

Peeta took his leave, feeling as if he had fallen on his sword.

*     *     *     *

"Eggs, sir?" the innkeeper's wife asked Peeta the next morning. He was sitting in the small dining room, awaiting his breakfast. He was rather lost in thought and did not understand the woman's speech until she had repeated it a few times. "What?" he said. "Oh. Grand."

"How would you like them served, your lordship?" the woman asked.

"As you normally do," Peeta said, slowly. He had not slept well and his thoughts were in a tangle.

"My husband likes them poached, hisself," the innkeeper's wife said.

"Umm. Poached will do," Peeta said, and sat back in his chair, feeling tremendously apprehensive about his coming meeting with his fiancee.

By the time he arrived at the boarding house of the Sisters of Charity, he was more than a little upset. _She_ was waiting for him, of course. Sitting in a plain blue frock, her dark hair in its usual braid.

No sisters about this morning, thank goodness. He let his eyes rove hungrily over her. No shadows under her eyes, unlike his own countenance. It was, he thought, unconscionable what she was doing, keeping him hanging like this. He seated himself, but closer than propriety would dictate.

"Good morning, Peeta," she said, evenly.

"Damn it, woman, you are driving me mad," Peeta replied, a little more roughly than he knew the situation warranted.

She turned her head to look him directly in the eyes, but she did not flinch. Not in the slightest. 

*     *     *     *

She asked, haltingly, of the condition of Lady Anne. When he said he did not know, she seemed troubled but made no reply. Then, she convinced Peeta she was well enough to take a little walk. She was not as animated as she usually was, on previous walks, but he could not blame her. He looked down at her hands, and thought of the engagement ring he had ordered for her, which he would present when they made the formal announcement of their engagement. 

After a half hour, they turned back to the boarding house. She presented her hand in parting, though Peeta would much have preferred a kiss.

"I shall return next week," he told her. The hand he held, he pressed to his heart. She gave a little nod and then withdrew her hand.

Peeta returned home, thinking of how much remained to be done before he could make her truly happy.


	42. KATNISS AFTER/ PEETA AFTER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So after I re-did the previous chapter, this chapter had to be wholly re-written.
> 
> Now, the angry sex is -- a flashback. With Lady Anne. Oh, sorry. Peeta looks bad, still. But Katniss is not sullied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short but I wanted to write it quickly and get it posted while I was still pondering the last chapter. The only way out of a dilemma is to write through it. And that's what I'm doing. 
> 
> Not all the answers can be given in this chapter, but the more I write, the more I learn about this story, who's reading this story, why they're reading this story, what kind of woman Katniss is, what kind of closure I'm aiming for, and all those things.

Katniss shivered and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. She had dozed intermittently, but couldn't have called the snatches of sleep as restful.

How many nights, she had longed for the feel of Peeta's body on hers. She had longed for it, dreamed of it. The pain of thinking of him with Lady Anne was sharp. Katniss knew he was sorry, knew he no longer loved the Lady. But he must have loved her once. And the Lady had taken all of his love, had basked in it, adorned herself with it.

Katniss turned her head into the pillow and wept.

*     *     *     *

He had not been gentle with Lady Anne. He had slammed into her, engulfing her and filling her. He had drowned in a sea of pure lust. Had he really been that person? He shuddered.

He thought back over what had happened. Yes, she, too, had felt desire, lust. She had kissed him, over and over, undressed him, taken him. She was no longer the slip of a girl he had known when they were both growing up. She was a woman, a woman who Peeta desired. 

And now, the tragedy of how it was ending. The fatal disease. It shook him to his core. Peeta's thoughts were scattered. 

Peeta moaned in his sleep. Was he in pain? What was he dreaming about? He called out "Katniss," and then, in his dream, he felt her beside him, whispering into the shell of his ear, "I'm here. I'm here, Peeta."

*     *     *     *

Peeta returned to his estate. When the servants told him that his mother was still in her room, ill, he went up immediately to see her.

Lady Laetitia was very weak. She raised her head from her pillow and looked at her son, love and hope giving her face more life. "How is Katniss?" she asked.

From the way her son refused to meet her gaze, Lady Laetitia knew. "Where is she?" Peeta's mother asked.

"She is in York," Peeta said. "I confessed all about -- my affair."

"But she has forgiven you . . . " his mother said.

"Yes," Peeta said. "But whether I deserve that forgiveness is another matter entirely."

"My boy, you cannot treat yourself so," his mother said. "You have too much to do."


	43. KATNISS RETURNS TO THE ESTATE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for that mis-step. I know it was a mis-step, because I was about to add another chapter that showed Lady Anne's demise. And that chapter was depressing me. Awful.
> 
> Now, instead, Katniss at Peeta's estate!

Katniss had returned to Peeta's estate. For the occasion, she decided to wind her braid around the top of her head, which showed off her long, slender neck. It was a new style, more grown-up. It had only taken one glance from Peeta to know that he approved, and this set her heart to beating a little faster. The carriage she was riding passed under a great doorway (above which hung the family coat-of-arms) into the courtyard. There, waiting at the door, was Lady Prim. Peeta was on horse directly behind and jumped down to help her out.

All her fears and anxieties, all her imaginings, seemed to dissolve at the sight of Lady Prim's smiling face (and also the feel of Peeta's strong arms as he helped her down from the carriage). It had been a very long week.

Lady Laetitia was still ill in bed, and so was unable to come down and welcome Katniss. But Peeta was all excitement, bounding like a boy, eager to show her his newest addition to the manor, the library.

"You have a library here?" Katniss had asked. There had been none on her last visit.

Without saying anything, Peeta led her through a room at the end of a secluded corridor. And when she stepped through the door, Katniss gasped. There were shelves and shelves of books! Katniss could not help twirling like a girl. Peeta watched her gratefully as she darted from one shelf to the next, her hands running over the books' spines. While she was so occupied, he took the opportunity to study her: he liked that she wore her hair up, her neck was so graceful it reminded him of a swan's. Her gown, though exceedingly simple, was belted and showed off her pretty waist. And her bosom . . . there was a moment when he let his glance linger there a little too ardently, but when Katniss finally turned her attention back to him, his eyes were drawn at once to her eyes, so lit with energy and happiness.

"I love it! Thank you so much, Peeta!" Katniss said.

"But you have not yet looked through the window," Peeta pointed out. He took her hand and led her there. Through it, she could see a small, walled garden, planted with young trees. "There will be daffodils, a hundred daffodils, in the spring," he said. "They are all in drifts. Here. Here. Here."

There was a moment when Katniss stood completely speechless. Then she suddenly turned and flung her arms about him.

Peeta knew where they would be spending their evenings. He would give orders to have the fireplace lit and ready for later.

Then they went up to his mother's suite, Peeta holding Katniss's right hand, Lady Prim her left. There was much excited chatter, and Lady Prim called out merrily: "Mother! Mother! She is here!"

The following week -- specifically, on the 14th of December -- there was to be a dance, at which Katniss and Peeta's engagement was to be publicly announced. Katniss was not looking forward to that day, for she was nervous about meeting Peeta's relatives (outside of his immediate family; she adored Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch and "got on" with Peeta's mother) but she decided that she could easily put it out of her mind, at least for the next few days.

Later that evening, as Katniss and Lady Prim were getting dressed for dinner, Peeta sat with his mother in her private sitting room. As Peeta poked the fire (his mother had informed him she would not be joining them for dinner), his mother studied his face and discovered a new determination, a new -- if you will, maturity. "Leave it, Peeta," she said, as he continued fussing over the fire. "The room is warm enough."

"I shall be up directly after dinner to check on you," Peeta said.

"Oh, hush," his mother said. "Your fiancée is here, you cannot be leaving her and running off to attend to your mother."

"But -- " Peeta began.

"Come here, Peeta," his mother said, in a firm tone of voice.

Peeta let go the poker and approached his mother.

"Sit," she commanded him.

He drew up a chair and sat next to her. His mother gazed long into his eyes. "Are you happy?" she asked him.

"I am," he replied.

She smiled. "Well, that is all I needed to know. Now, get yourself ready for dinner."

When he had exited the room, Lady Laetitia leaned her head back on the chair. Then, she directed her gaze to the portrait that hung above the fireplace, a portrait of her departed husband. "Every day," she murmured, "he looks more and more like you." She waited, as if expecting a response. Then she continued, "I think we are leaving the estate in good hands."

*     *     *     *

Peeta hurriedly dressed for dinner. It was going to be Katniss, Lady Prim, and Lord Plutarch. Just the four of them together, he did not need to take so much trouble with his dress. But -- for Katniss's sake, and because he was happy, he did take the trouble. He dunked his hair in the washbasin, he scrubbed the grime of travel from his face, neck, and hands, he was liberal with the soap and even brushed his teeth -- even though they were going to dine very soon, and what did it matter anyway. Still, he went ahead and brushed his teeth.

Then he went down and waited for Katniss at the foot of the stairs. She had changed to a fresh dress, but had left her braid up. He watched her descend the stairs and thought he detected a blush on her cheeks as she saw the way he was looking at her. As soon as she was close enough, he caught her hand and pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." At his breath in her ear, her eyes half-closed, but then she opened them again, and he saw silvery motes dancing in her smoky irises. She gripped his hand and then released. Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch were descending the stairs.


	44. NERVES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience with this story! I wasn't sure which direction to take -- well, actually, I wasn't sure I could write a REAL Regency romance! So I decided to bring everything back down to the gutter. Which was horrible. Now I'm going in the opposite direction: darn it, I'm going to do my best to write a proper Regency Romance! Complete with ancestral portraits, snobbish neighbors, the works!

As she prepared for the coming dance, at which the formal announcement of her engagement to Peeta would be made, Katniss found herself worrying more and more about the dress she had made for the occasion.

 _Peeta loves you, no matter what you look like_ , she told herself, repeatedly. She remembered her first night back at the estate, when she had descended for dinner, and found Peeta waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her. The look in his eyes had made her feel quite weak. She noted that he had taken the trouble to wash his hair, as it was still damp, still curling along his neck. And then he had whispered into her ear that she was beautiful.

That should have been enough to allay her nerves, but it wasn't. How could she, so small and inelegant, possibly take her place at his side?

Every day she looked on the same portraits: pictures of his ancestors, noble lords and ladies, exquisitely dressed, exquisitely coiffed, and she -- she who had grown up practicallly an orphan, with almost no money to her name -- dared to take her place amongst them! Peeta had told her it was tradition that both of them have their portraits painted. She imagined herself sitting for a portrait -- the notion was ridiculous! She could not imagine herself sitting for a portrait -- a wan, delicate smile on her face, her arms arranged just so, a tiara on her head -- no, it was impossible.

Peeta, however, was unfailingly patient. Every moment that he was with her, he tried to gently guide her. There were occasional visits from country neighbors: Lady Katherine Gifford of Lanercost, who appeared one day with her pretty eldest daughter, Eve. Eve had stared at Katniss as if she simply could not believe she were in the presence of such a simpleton. Lady Katherine, too, seemed less than charmed by Katniss's presence. It was clear that they had not been aware of Peeta's attachment. They had spent part of the season in London, had heard no news, and were flummoxed when they were joined in the drawing room by Katniss.

Eve, to judge from her stories of Peeta as a child, had known him well: she told delightful stories of childhood picnics and of Peeta trying to get her attention by rolling around on the grass. The conversation was suffocating. Peeta was aware of it, too, but seemed unable to hurry it along.

A few days before the dance, when Katniss's nerves were starting to make themselves annoyingly apparent, Peeta surprised her by giving her the ring.

It was delicate, not like the rings she had seen on the hands of other high-born ladies. It looked like spun gold and silver strands. It slipped easily over her finger, and then nested there as if it were expressly made for her hand alone. And she had thrilled at the thought of having such a beautiful ring to represent Peeta's commitment to her.

Two nights before the dance, Lady Prim (who had returned briefly to her estate) returned. She quite astonished Katniss by presenting her with four new dresses. Katniss at first protested that she had already sewn her gown for the dance, but when Lady Prim showed her the four she was giving to Katniss, all of Katniss's protests died in her throat.

The dresses were velvet and shot taffety. Their hems were embroidered with gold and silver thread. One was rose-colored, another deep scarlet. But the one Katniss loved the most was a forest green. She tried that one on immediately, and Prim sighed and said that if Peeta saw her in that, he would not let any other man near her.

Finally, the day of the dance arrived. Lady Laetitia had been well enough to take charge of the arrangements. She had ordered Katniss to rest. Katniss stayed in her room until the last possible moment, being fussed over by Lady Prim and Prim's maid. When she finally descended the stairs, Peeta saw a vision: her eyes were huge in her face. She paused for a moment at the top of the stairs, as if gathering herself. She looked down at the man who was to be her husband: his fair glittered in the light of many flickering candelabras, but it was his eyes, the way he looked at her, that caught the attention.

When Peeta made the formal announcement of his engagement, Lady Laetitia's happiness was such that she broke into tears, as did Lady Prim. But there were more than a few fair ladies present who heaved sighs of disappointment. For never was there a more handsome Earl than Earl Peeta Mellark. Yet, they were now forced to come up to Katniss, one by one (or in groups, it did not matter, at least not to Katniss) and extend their congratulations. They must all (now) exclaim over her engagement ring, which they all gazed at with envy.

There were still a few, however, who looked askance at Katniss and tittered behind their fans. A few who said it was a great pity, Lady Anne would have gladly divorced Lord Finnick and married Peeta, if not for that dusky woman showing up. Lady Anne had said so herself, many times, to Lady Clove. Indeed, a few were inclined to regard Katniss as a witch, who had ensnared Peeta with dark magic.

The date given for the wedding was the 25th of March.

Peeta held Katniss close as they danced. "You look every inch an Earl," Katniss whispered. "And you look every inch an Earl's wife," Peeta responded.


	45. ONE DOOR CLOSES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The demise of Lady Anne

Lady Anne was now close to death. In her delirium, she often mentioned Peeta.

Lord Finnick had spared no expense for his dying wife. He sat by her bedside, thinking every moment of a woman with kohl-rimmed eyes and dark hair, a woman who was even then making her way to London, her passage provided for by Lord Finnick's aunt.

"Finnick, fetch him," Lady Anne gasped.

"Wife, I cannot," Finnick said.

"You must do this one thing for me," Lady Anne kept saying.

Suddenly, she fell silent. Finnick looked up. He took his wife's hand. It was quite cold.

"God in heaven!" Finnick exclaimed. Though he had not loved her, he had pitied her much, towards the end.

He looked at her. "Be at peace now, Anne," he said. He took a linen cloth and laid it gently over her disfigured face. And then he called out for his aunt.

Lady Anne was buried on her ancestral estate in February, at the tail end of winter. A dark-haired woman, heavily shrouded, stood by Finnick's side. Lady Anne's coffin was laid in the family crypt, alongside those of her parents. The woman was heard to whisper, "My Lord, now we can return home."

Peeta knew of Lady Anne's demise. The news reached him, a week after her funeral, and only three weeks before his wedding. He heard, too, that a mysterious, dark-haired woman had arrived in London and had been seen at Lord Finnick's side.

For a time, Peeta felt that black despair that always came over him at the mention of Lady Anne. And then he thought of his betrothed, Katniss. And he girded his courage. He called for his hounds and went into the woods, listening to the birds. Eventually he wound his way to the chapel, where the second mural, which he had just completed, reminded him of his future.

The following week, Katniss bade her final goodbye to the Sisters of Charity and was housed with Lady Prim, where she was to remain until the day before the wedding. She, too, heard of the passing of Lady Anne and worried much about Peeta. For she knew in her heart that Peeta could never lay to rest the guilty feeling that the lady's destruction had in some way been caused by him.

Lady Prim and Katniss sat together in the evenings and conversed, while Lord Plutarch situated himself in a chair by the fire and dozed. The evenings with Lady Prim were very peaceful. When it was time for bed, Lady Prim would very gently rouse Lord Plutarch.

It seemed to Katniss that Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch were more physically affectionate than before. Katniss sometimes studied Lady Prim's figure in profile. One day, when she was quite sure, she made her congratulations to the couple.

"How did you know?" Prim said, blushing slightly.

"A guess, a lucky guess," Katniss said, smiling.

*     *     *     *

Only a week till the wedding!

Katniss and Lady Prim were in the library when a servant came to announce Peeta.

"But, he is days early!" Lady Prim exclaimed.

Katniss had no time to add to this for in the next moment Peeta himself was in the room, his face pale. He went straight up to Katniss and clasped her in his arms.

"Peeta! You are frightening me! What has happened?" Lady Prim exclaimed.

Peeta did not speak for a moment. Then he pulled away from Katniss and faced his sister. "Nothing. Nothing has happened. I wished to see Katniss. That is all."

They had a quiet dinner, all four of them. After, Lady Prim excused herself, saying she was tired. Lord Plutarch followed his wife shortly after.

When it was just Katniss and Peeta alone in the library, Katniss asked Peeta what the matter was.

"I -- I had a dream last night. A nightmare," Peeta said, then stopped. He rubbed a hand over his face.

"Was it -- was it about -- ?" Katniss could not bring herself to say the name.

"No," Peeta said emphatically. "It was a dream about you. About losing you. I knew I could not rest until I saw you."


	46. THEY ARE WED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was quite a feat for this Katniss and Peeta, as they even had to overcome the author's wish to turn their story into a variation of The Master and Margarita.
> 
> But, luckily, loyal readers were there to save the day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Peeta's official title will be (thank you, broadwaybaby59) Lord Peeta, Earl of Mellark!
> 
> I also know it was awkward that I never named his estate. I could have said Pemberley but that would be pushing it.

Katniss and Peeta were wed.

The ceremony took place in the family chapel on Peeta's estate. The birds sang non-stop, and all over the grounds were large drifts of blooming yellow and orange daffodils.

The bride walked slowly down the aisle, clutching a large bouquet of yellow daffodils. A thrill passed through the assembled to see her. She was a vision of loveliness.

Despite her nervousness, Katniss held her head high. The light streaming through the chapel windows caught her face just so. Everyone remarked on how well the painter of the murals (there were three now, altogether) had captured her likeness.

When the guests turned their eyes to the groom, there could be heard (among the ladies) an audible sigh. Lord Peeta, Earl of Mellark was handsome. But more than that, it was his eyes, fastened on his bride's, never wavering, that added to his magnetism. One or two unmarried ladies came that close to fainting.

At one point during her slow progress down the aisle, the bride seemed to stumble. But the groom came forward immediately and caught her before she fell. And now she was safe in his arms. She let go of her bouquet and clutched the the groom's shoulders. Lady Prim quickly whisked it up and returned it to the bride when she was solidly upright.

By the grace of God, the two were united. Peeta slipped a slender gold ring over Katniss's finger. An open-air carriage stood in the churchyard, to take them to the manor for the reception. Immediately outside the main doors of the chapel was a trellis of flowers. As the wedded couple passed beneath this, after the ceremony, a great burst of pigeons was released into the air. "Ooooh," everyone burst out. There were wide smiles on everyone's faces. Lord Peeta scooped his wife up in his arms, as easily as if she weighed no more than a feather. He gently deposited her in the carriage and climbed up after her.

At this precise moment, a pair of lapwings -- which are ridiculous-looking birds, known for their crests and unnecessary breadth of wing -- came swooping in low and landed on the carriage. The bride startled, but the groom only laughed and embraced her. "We shall find their eggs all over the grass by Easter," he whispered to her. More and more came swooping down from the sky, but now that the bride was held in her husband's arms, she took this aerial assault in very good spirits.

The groom's sister and mother clutched each other, barely able to restrain their tears. It was noted with what extraordinary care Lord Plutarch assisted Lady Prim into the carriage, and a few tongues were set to wagging about a slight difference in Lady Prim's silhouette. Everyone was taken to the manor in various equipages, and there was dancing and feasting, long into the night.

It was said by some famous writer (whose name I have completely forgotten) that beauty in nature is more important than beauty in art because, while people can go on filling galleries and museums with art, once the life has gone from a place, it is gone forever.

But the descendants of Katniss and Peeta would disagree, for they had only to look at the paintings Lord Peeta had made of his wife, now known as Lady Katniss -- lovingly preserved in the family chapel -- to know that her visage would glow, alive and haloed with love, for many generations.

As for the daffodils, the drifts that Lord Peeta had planted for his bride became every year more robust (for daffodils are self-naturalizing) and the estate itself became famous for having the most spectacular display of daffodils in the whole of England.

As for Lord Finnick, his story was not, after all, a sad one, for he was married in India, in a ceremony enlivened by whirling dervishes (His wife was Johanna, a Jain. Do not force me to reveal her last name, suffice it to say it had many syllables). Despite her great age, Lord Finnick's aunt, Lady Lavinia, was present at the wedding. She managed the ocean voyage with only two serious bouts of seasickness, and afterwards made it back to London without undue complications. She lived for a decade more, long enough to see Lord Finnick's four children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will do a chapter on Katniss and Peeta's wedding night. It will be a completely loving and romantic experience, as Katniss deserves (and sorry for even trying something as cray-cray as the first version!)
> 
> And then an Epilogue, which will pick up six months after the wedding, to lay to rest some of the Lady Anne guilt Peeta's been feeling, and to show how Countess Katniss is growing into her new role.
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with this story!


	47. NIGHTS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just to explain: Peeta's mother decided to spend the next two weeks with Lady Prim, which is why she doesn't appear at all in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may feel a bit anti-climactic after the wedding chapter, but what the heck . . . I owed it to you all to show a first time for Katniss that was as different as I could make it from that other scene I first wrote.

When the guests had all retired, and Lord Peeta and Lady Katniss were finally able to slip into their bedroom, Peeta sensed a different sort of nervousness in Katniss. And so he kept talking, as if it were nothing at all, as if it were simply an ordinary night, and they were not staring at his bed. He realized his wife was exhausted, and he suggested they go straight to bed, and she undertook his meaning and then changed (in the bathroom) into her nightgown (a new one, of course, supplied by her mother-in-law, which I know readers will think strange, but there you have it).

Then they slipped under the bedcovers and fell naturally into each other's arms, and began talking about the day, and about how happy they were, and then, before Lord Peeta even realized it, his wife was asleep. She must have been absolutely exhausted. He stroked her hair, and held her close, and thought about how lucky he was.

And so the main event did not happen that night, or even the next night. It happened on the third night after the wedding.

After dinner, the servants cleared out rather quickly (which they had been doing every night since the wedding, come to think of it), and it was well that they did, for Peeta really wished he and Katniss could do that thing which he had ached to do almost from the moment he had first met her.

And so they were finally in his/their bedroom, and Katniss was in her nightgown, and they both sat on the edge of the bed, and Peeta took his wife's hand. Then, with his other hand, he cupped her chin and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She responded with some alacrity. More quickly than Peeta had anticipated, Katniss was lying back on the bed, and he was half on top of her, and they were kissing fervently. He was still clothed, but the evidence of his desire was becoming more and more apparent. He began, almost hesitantly, to move along his wife's thigh, as a way of alleviating the ache he felt, and at first her thigh twitched, but then she began to move her hips against him, and then they were rubbing against one another in earnest.

This was still rather awkward, as Katniss was completely without experience, and she jerked her hips but not in rhythm with Peeta. But her husband was patient.

His hand lifted her nightgown and went between her legs. He found the area already damp, and was encouraged. After a few moments, he asked (yes, he actually asked) if he could remove her bloomers (or whatever it is you call a woman's underthings). She assented.

"Tell me if I do anything that hurts you," he murmured.

She nodded. He very slowly pulled down her underthings. He pulled her nightgown over her head. Now his wife was completely bare to him. The candles threw flickering light over his wife's bare body and he thought he had never seen anything so beautiful.

"You are safe with me," he said, in a husky voice.

"Yes, I know," his wife said.

For a moment he debated whether to go all the way. But then he realized that they must surmount that first pain, there was no going around it, and the quicker they got to it, the sooner they would learn how to pleasure each other. He was already more than ready, but she -- at one point, she attempted to snap her thighs closed and he had to hold them open with his strong hand. He felt her thighs tremble and had to keep repeating, "All is well, all is well," soothing her. Finally, and only when he felt her legs relax, did he attempt penetration. And even then, he did it very slowly, so that his wife would have a chance to get accustomed to his girth.

Finally, when he had buried himself to the hilt, he groaned against her shoulder, and tried not to move. She was breathing hard, and clutching his head to her breasts. He fastened his lips around a nipple and sucked, sucked and sucked until she bucked beneath him and he knew she was feeling pleasure again. Then he slowly, carefully, pushed in and out, watching her face the whole time.

Eventually, he felt her shudder beneath him, and knew she was reaching her crest. He continued slowly, at the same pace as before, and she cried out. Then he kissed her long and deep. He reached his own peak moments later and collapsed onto her. When she finally opened her eyes, there was a look there, a question. "I shall be better tomorrow," she assured him. It was then that she broke his heart in two, cleaved it as surely as if she had applied a blade. His hands moved all over her body and he wanted badly to mount her again but did not. He held her close and kissed her hair and eventually they both fell asleep, tangled in each other's arms.

He was awake before she. The sheets had been pushed to the foot of the bed by their activities. He remarked on the loveliness of her, but did not attempt anything. When she eventually awoke, he asked her only what she wished to do that day. She shivered at the feel of his breath against her shoulder. "I have not thought on it . . . " she said haltingly. "We could walk," Peeta said. "Around the estate. If you would like to see more of it. Or I could have us taken to the nearest town, it is but five miles distant. Whatever you wish."

Katniss thought for a few moments while Peeta feasted on her face. "If we could stay home today, I think I would like that best," she said. They went to breakfast holding hands, and the servants had to hide their smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this, an Epilogue that takes place six months later.
> 
> That's it, gentle readers! I hope this chapter makes up for that other chapter I posted a few days ago, which come to think of it, was really awful.
> 
> Thank you so much, your comments and support helped make this the first work of fan fiction I've actually been able to complete!


	48. SIX MONTHS LATER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There might be one more chapter after this one, showing Lady Katniss on her estate!
> 
> In this one, Peeta and his mother, Lady Laetitia, have a very important conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! I made a mistake with when Katniss is due. I said December at first, but I meant March. 
> 
> They were married in March, it's September now, and Katniss is three months pregnant, which means her due date is March, a year after her wedding.

It was difficult for Lady Katniss, in the beginning. The managing of a household, full of servants, when one has grown accustomed to living in a boarding house, is no easy task.

Lady Laetitia returned after spending two weeks with Lady Prim. It was understood that she would from then on be spending part of every month with her daughter. The estate had a new mistress now, and Lady Laetitia was very glad to give over the reins to Lady Katniss.

Of course, Lady Laetitia's heart had ached for Peeta when the news came of Lady Anne's demise. She knew Peeta would blame himself, for he and Lady Anne had grown up together, and the ruin of Anne was a story no one could have predicted, in those halcyon days when they chased each other around the meadow, or played hide and seek in the manor.

She, however, decided to say nothing immediately. She bided her time, helping Lady Prim prepare for the coming birth of her child.

Then, one day, Lady Katniss announced that she was with child. It was September now, six months since the wedding; the child of Katniss and Peeta was due in March. Lady Laetitia could not help feeling a sense of satisfaction that the ugly rumours about the reason for Peeta's wedding could finally be put to rest. There were still many dangers, of course, surrounding Peeta -- such as the stain on his reputation, which could never be effaced, of having had a dalliance with a married woman. But at least it could definitively be said that he and Katniss had not married merely to conceal the circumstances of a child born out of wedlock.

Peeta's family stood staunchly beside him now. They would brook no rumors. Meanwhile, Lady Laetitia determined that it was the proper time to have a talk with Peeta over his guilt over Lady Anne.

Lady Laetitia chose to speak with Peeta on a beautiful, cloudless September day. Katniss was still lying abed, for she was suffering from some queasiness. Peeta had many tasks to accomplish before the winter -- such as making sure all the windows were snug and all the fireplaces had been cleaned and restored to good working order. He was just finishing up an early breakfast when his mother entered the room.

"Mother! What brings you down so early?" were Peeta's first words to Lady Laetitia.

"Peeta, you know I am always up early. I had breakfast taken to my room. Today, I thought you could show me some of your new projects. I know you have been very occupied."

*     *     *     *

Peeta was eager to show Lady Laetitia  the new path he was making to the chapel. The old one had been meandering and, moreover, muddy. The one Peeta was constructing was more direct. The gardeners had just finished putting in the edging. The path was lined with a profusion of intermingled ferns and flowers. Lady Laetitia looked about her with satisfaction. Yes, everything was so much better since Peeta had taken over the management of the estate.

"You have done wonders with the grounds, Peeta," his mother said, wrapping an arm around his.

Then Peeta led his mother into the chapel, and his mother admired once again the artistic talent so much in evidence in the three murals Peeta had completed: the two largest were of the grounds. The first one showed a couple inside a pergola. The second showed a dark-haired woman seated beneath a group of elm trees, an infant in her arms.

"Oh, Peeta!" his mother said, grasping her son's arm. "You have added the child!"

Peeta grinned. The mural his mother had seen, months before, had been modified to include a child resting in Katniss's arms. It was wrapped in blankets, and the face was not visible. But the woman was definitely his wife.

"You are going to make an excellent father," Lady Laetitia said.

"I hope so," Peeta said, with a self-deprecating grin.

 _He has been ever thus_ , Lady Laetitia thought, _slow to accept compliments._

"You have truly come into your own, these past months," his mother added. "Nothing pleases me more than to be able to say that. Your father would have been so proud."

Peeta's face fairly glowed with happiness and pride at his mother's words.

"And I think no small part is due to the love of a good woman," his mother said. "It is wonderful for me to see the love you and your wife have for each other."

Peeta's smile widened.

"It is wonderful for me to see my son flourishing and living the life he was meant to lead. Finally," Lady Laetitia said.

The merest shadow seemed to flit across Peeta's features.

"Your sister and I were in London recently. You know Lord Plutarch has his house there," she went on. "And who do you suppose came to pay us a social call? Why, you would never guess: Lady Lavinia!"

"That was -- unexpected." Peeta spoke haltingly.

"My boy," Lady Laetitia said, patting her son's arm, "You may lay whatever guilt you have to rest. Lady Lavinia reports that Lord Finnick is married to an Indian woman. Lady Lavinia herself was at the wedding. Good heavens! At her age to complete such a sea voyage! But she returned all in one piece, full of glowing reports about Lord Finnick's wife. Lady Lavinia was very happy to hear of your wedding, and asked me to extend her warmest congratulations to you and Katniss."

The look on Peeta's face was pure astonishment.

His mother patted his hand. "There, there, Peeta. She does not blame you. No one does. Not even Lord Finnick. Anne set her own path to destruction. One cannot save everyone."

Peeta was silent. They were now outside the chapel and walking back to the main house. There was a palpable gloom on her son's countenance, and his mother instantly regretted having begun the conversation in the chapel, which she knew had become for Peeta a place of refuge and tranquility. She regretted having to bring up Lady Anne -- "that witch" was still the name Lady Prim used on the rare occasions when she referred to the deceased.

"One day, my son, you will have to go back into society and face Lady Anne's cohorts, and all your worst enemies. You cannot hide here, in the country, forever. Oh I know you are perfectly happy, and so is Katniss. But the sooner you engage once again with all your friends in London, who still love you so much -- " here Lady Laetitia could not keep a slight tremble from her voice -- "the sooner you will silence those evil, vile people who still seek to destroy you! I shall help, and your sister and Lord Plutarch shall help, and Lady Katniss, too. For we all love you dearly."

"Mother," Peeta said, stopping and facing Lady Laetitia, "I was at fault. Do you not see? Lord Finnick is an honorable man." Peeta took a deep breath. "I am happy that he has found someone he can truly love. But I -- I was weak. I gave in. Every day I tremble at that knowledge. I pray I am never again tempted in that way . . . "

Lady Laetitia shook her head sadly. "You judge yourself too harshly, Peeta. Lady Anne took from you -- and took and took and took. And would still be taking today, if you had not met Katniss. She took your innocence, and everything that was good and noble in you, and turned it into something vile . . . "

"I had a hand in it, too, mother. It shames me to say it. It is not all on her . . . "

Lady Laetitia looked at Peeta, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "My son, you are altogether too, too noble . . . "

*     *     *     *

Peeta and Lady Laetitia parted at the grand staircase, she to ascend to her rooms, he to see after Katniss. But his mind was still reeling. Was his mother right? Had he taken on too much of the blame for a relationship that had nearly cost him everything?

If only Peeta were a different kind of man: one who did not question too closely, or reflect too strenuously, on his past. But it is precisely this questioning mind that makes him Our Peeta, and deserving of a reader's affection. It was this sense of struggling with himself which his wife, Lady Katniss, saw all too clearly, and which made her love for her husband burn all the brighter.

When he pushed open the door to the bedroom, Katniss was just getting out of bed. She made a petulant face, which made it seem as if he had caught her in some impropriety. But he caught her hand and pulled her back to the bed.

"Rest," he said to her.

"I have been resting, too much already," Katniss said, and made to get up.

But then he caught her hand and pressed it against his chest. He loved his wife, with all his heart and soul. He knew there would be no other. Katniss looked at him, startled perhaps by his ardency.

"Is something amiss?" Katniss asked.

"No, but stay awhile," he said. He ran his hand over her belly, over the curve beginning to form there. But he did not stop at her belly. His hand moved lower, and lower still. Katniss gasped and looked at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I want to make you feel better," he said.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, oops, I don't know why I had to put in that last line from Peeta, that he prays he is never tempted again.
> 
> Don't worry, he won't be (tempted)! He is in love with Katniss, his relationship with her isn't something he'd throw away on another dalliance.
> 
> But he still blames himself for what happened. At least, he's not trying to run away or shirk responsibility, he's owning it.


	49. A CHRISTMAS BALL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I haven't identified WHOSE ball Lady Katniss and Lord Peeta are attending, but it's definitely not Duchess Clove's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be an encounter later in the chapter. The Welshman is a cross-over from The Infernal Devices trilogy of Cassandra Clare.
> 
> I'm Wessa, in that universe. That means: Will Herondale + Tessa.
> 
> I wanted to give Peeta a childhood friend, someone who knew him from before he got tangled up with Anne. I realize The Infernal Devices takes place in Victorian England, and this is supposed to be Regency England. Okay, let's just say it's not exactly Will Herondale, just someone with his charm and looks. And I'm just sticking him in here to make Peeta more relaxed about going back into London society.

Katniss stared at herself in the mirror. She still felt awkward wearing a tiara, but her mother-in-law had insisted on giving it to her as a gift, and Katniss took this as a gentle hint that she should wear it to her first London ball. Her dark hair was coiled on top of her head, anchoring the tiara firmly. Peeta wrapped his arms around her.

"Peeta, no!" Katniss said. "It took an age for me to get ready."

Peeta placed a kiss on the back of her neck and released her. "I'm sorry," Peeta said, stepping back. "It is just that you look absolutely ravishing. Which, come to think of it, I very much want to do as soon as we are home again and I can get you out of these clothes."

"Stop it," Katniss said, getting up and moving away from the vanity. "Stop teasing me."

Peeta took her hand and pressed his warm mouth to the back of it. "Shall I escort you to the carriage, my Princess?"

A smile tugged at her lips. She allowed Peeta to lead her.

They met Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch in the front hall. Lady Prim looked like she was ready to deliver at any moment. Katniss was just beginning to show. And yet, both Lords looked at their wives with shining eyes, as if they had never beheld anything so beautiful as the two women standing before them.

"Are you all right, Katniss?" Lady Prim asked, worried as always about her sister-in-law.

"I am well," Lady Katniss said. "Are you sure you want to attend this ball? I feel you are only doing it so I will not feel so anxious."

"Oh, stuff it!" Lady Prim said. "This will be my last London season before the baby. I intend to make the most of it!"

* * * *

Lady Katniss and Lady Prim alighted from the carriage, assisted by their husbands. They stood, all four, at the top of the stairs while a servant announced them. There was an audible ripple among the guests in the ballroom. Katniss gripped Peeta's hand. The answering squeeze from her husband calmed her. Slowly, both ladies, both visibly pregnant, though of course Lady Prim was much more obviously pregnant than Katniss, descended the stairs.

Katniss knew there were a few more of these she had to attend before the holidays. The mere thought added greatly to her anxiety.

There was a high, shrill tittering from the right side of the ballroom. Neither Lady Prim nor Lady Katniss turned their heads, but Katniss knew immediately who was there. Lady Clove and Lady Glimmer and their assorted cohorts. Peeta moved closer to her side and led her to the left. Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch followed.

"Well, speak of the devil," came a hiss.

Peeta stilled. Lord Plutarch was instantly at his side. "For God's sake, man, get a hold of yourself. Your wife is with you!"

Katniss could feel the tension release from Peeta's shoulders. He turned to her, his eyes troubled. "Shall we -- sit?" he asked.

"No," Katniss said. "I would like to dance."

*     *    *     *

After the dance, which Lady Katniss had managed very well, despite having to admonish Peeta once or twice that he was holding her too close, she and Lady Prim shared a couch in an alcove just off the dance floor. Their husbands hovered over them.

"Plutarch, do keep still," Lady Prim snapped. "You are making me quite dizzy."

"My dear, I am only being a watchful husband," Lord Plutarch said.

"Well, it is most annoying," Lady Prim said. "How do you expect Lady Katniss and I to be at our ease with you fussing about?"

Lord Plutarch bowed and took two steps backwards. Lady Katniss could not suppress a smile.

Lady Prim looked at her husband very pointedly. "Do fetch us both a glass of water?"

Having successfully dispatched her husband, Lady Prim fastened a steady gaze on her brother. "And perhaps Katniss would -- "

"No," Peeta said firmly, in a voice that even his sister knew brooked no dispute. "I shall remain here until Plutarch returns. You are both too beautiful to leave unescorted, even for a moment. Heavens, what would people say of me? It would be the height of impropriety."

"Well, if it isn't Peeta!" a male voice said, quite close.

Katniss looked up, startled. The man (Lord, rather, from his fine dress) was staring at Peeta in amazement. He was very handsome. Peeta stared back, perplexed. The strange man stuck out his hand. "You don't remember me! You spent two summers in Wales and never came again. Why not? I missed you!"

The stranger's gaze wandered to Katniss and his eyes positively gleamed. "Is this your wife? Peeta, you lucky dog, she's absolutely astounding!" He bent low over Katniss's hand. "Since your husband doesn't seem to remember me, my lady, I shall introduce myself: I am Lord William, Baron of Boddelwyddan."

He then turned to Lady Prim and burst out: "Is that you, Primmy? I declare!" He stood back and let his eyes graze over her. "Ready to pop, aren't you? And where is your husband?"


	50. THE REST OF THE LONDON SEASON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone would like to try doing a banner, I'd be most grateful. I'm not sure how this works, since I don't have a tumblr. But I always read and respond to messages here.
> 
> I'm still adding, bit by bit. THANK YOU for reading and for your encouragement!
> 
> I'm referring to "Duchess Clove" now as "Lady Clove" because I think that's the more proper usage. There is a little about her at the end of this chapter.

In between balls, dinners, and parties, Lady Katniss and Lord Peeta found time to reflect upon the events that so indelibly marked their lives. Lord Peeta did sometimes think of Lady Anne, the times he (inevitably) ran into one of her set in St. James or one of the other Royal parks. But he was with Katniss now, and being with her gave him strength.

Not two weeks after their first ball, a few days after Christmas, Lady Prim went into labor. Lady Laetitia came down from the country as soon as she received the news. The baby was a boy. He had his mother's fair hair and cornflower blue eyes, but her husband claimed the nose and mouth and ears. Prim wished to name him Plutarch, but her husband told her he had suffered with that name for all his life, and would not wish a similar fate on anyone. And therefore it was agreed that Lady Prim's first child would be called James.

Then, Katniss wished very much that her own delivery would be as straightforward as Prim's for James was out in 11 hours, which everyone said was pretty fast, even for a baby that was eight 1/2 pounds. The decision of where the baby was to be baptized resulted in much discussion. But eventually Lady Prim relented and James was baptized in a London church. Lord Plutarch's uncle, Lord Peter of Grandison, stood god-father, and Katniss godmother. A month after the delivery, Lady Prim, Lady Laetitia and Lord Plutarch returned to their estate. "Good-bye, Katniss! Good-bye, Peeta!" Lady Prim said in the front hall. The carriage was already pulled up outside.

Katniss and Lord Peeta had to stay on, for after they had attended their first London ball, invitations had begun coming in for other balls and other engagements. And though Katniss would have been perfectly happy to return to the Mellark estate with Peeta, Lady Laetitia was firm in saying that they should accept as many of the invitations as they could, and finish out the rest of the season in London. But without Prim and Lord Plutarch, however, Lord Plutarch's London home became gloomy in the utmost and Katniss was quite bereft.

To relieve her spirits, Peeta took his wife to see the sights. She had not spent any time in London, she had lived such a secluded life with her grandmother in Yorkshire. Now, Peeta was determined to show his wife everything. He took her to Westminster Abbey and she gloried in the marvel of its construction. He took her to Buckingham Palace, and to Saint Bartholomew's (which was not then a hospital) and they saw the lovely chapel of St. Bride's, with its steeple designed by no less than Sir Christopher Wren. They spent a day at Canterbury, and attended a service. The service featured a choir, and when Katniss heard the singing, she was reminded of her great love of music, and Peeta, looking at his wife's face, determined that he would bring her to as many London concerts as he could manage.

And always, each night, Lord Peeta showed his love in other ways. Because he wanted his wife to know, every moment that she was with him, that he loved her truly, fully, deeply. Sometimes they left the bedroom curtains open, to let in the moon, as Katniss loved the look of moonlight slanting through high windows. And then Peeta would hold her in his arms, and whisper sweet promises meant for her alone, and Katniss would whisper back promises of her own.

There were times when Katniss was very tired (for a constant round of engagements can be wearing, especially for someone who is not used to that sort of life, and when you take into consideration the fact that she was six months pregnant, it explains much) and she would fall asleep almost the moment her head sank on the pillow. Then Peeta (for he was never as tired as she) would simply hold her, and look at her beautiful face, and stroke her hair (and her belly, too, for the child was as real to him as if it were lying in their arms, that very moment) and would murmur things like, "I do not deserve such happiness" (which Katniss would certainly contradict, if she were awake and heard what Peeta said) or "I shall always be here to protect you." There were times when the baby moved, and those were times that thrilled Peeta, and so he loved putting his large, warm hands over his sleeping wife's belly.

Towards mid-January, Katniss became quite restive. Her mind was often back in the country, to the estate. She wished so much to return, but always Lady Laetitia said No, stay. Katniss would occasionally get fierce, or angry. Such moods, Peeta's mother had told him, were to be expected.

While her moods may have become unpredictable, she only grew more lovely in outward appearance. For she became even more beautiful (if that were even possible), her eyes seemed lit with an inner fire, and then her foresworn enemies, people like Lady Clove and Lady Glimmer, could only snarl in impotent rage. In vain did they try and stir up trouble for Peeta, describing how Lady Anne had sickened and died, calling out Peeta's name (This was based solely on hearsay, or their fevered imaginations, for neither had bothered to visit Lady Anne at Bath, so horrified were they by her illness. For that matter, neither had been at her funeral, or bothered to send flowers or condolences even).

Lord Finnick had had a terrible time, but everyone knew he was not in love with his wife, so no one felt very sorry for him. It was assumed he had another lover (or lovers) in India, which of course he did. And the fact that he never insisted on another duel with Peeta, or expressed any sort of hatred towards Peeta or his family, was another factor in easing Peeta back into society.

And then, of course, there was the evidence of Peeta himself -- that is, the evidence of how Lord Peeta conducted himself as a married man. Married men were not expected to spend every moment with their wives. Quite a few went to clubs, went on hunts, traveled abroad even. But Lord Peeta was never seen in public without Lady Katniss.

"Fie," said Lady Clove one day, petulantly examining her figure. Her new lover, a boy much younger, barely 20, was very beautiful. And everywhere he went, he turned heads. And all the women in London who saw him wanted him, whether they were married or no. And Lady Clove had to fight like a tigress to keep the boy's attention on her. To the point where she literally starved herself so that she would have the wasp waist that the boy keenly delighted in wrapping his arms around. And Lady Clove did think of Lady Katniss, and she did remark on the devotion Lord Peeta had for his wife. It was not unlike the devotion he at one time had paid Lady Anne.

Lady Clove knew in her heart of hearts that Lord Peeta was an honorable man. When he was with Lady Anne, no other woman could tempt him -- and Lord knows, Lady Clove had tried! -- and she knew no one could tempt him away from Lady Katniss. And this only served to increase her hatred for Lord Peeta. For people of ugly character cannot stand to be in the presence of the good.

Damn them, the pair now seemed to be the darlings of London society: the number of balls they attended was, Lady Clove thought, quite ridiculous. Instead of behaving like a humble maiden, the dusky woman wore a tiara. It was obviously a Mellark family heirloom, winking with diamonds. Everyone quite gasped to behold it, resting on top of the woman's thick, dark hair. That such as _she_ be permitted to wear such a thing!


	51. FROM THE BEYOND

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explicit opening scene (but at least it's not a flashback to Lady Anne) . . . Peeta and Katniss.
> 
> Explicit towards the end, Finnick and Johanna.
> 
> All from the point of view of Lady Anne's ghost. So you may wish to skip this actually.
> 
> I am totally just trying to stretch the story, so if it doesn't work, let me know?

Lady Anne had been watching for a while. Peeta and Katniss were making love. Katniss was on her hands and knees, and Peeta was behind her, trying to be as gentle as possible. They had been doing it in this position since her stomach was large now and precluded anything else.

After, they both collapsed on the bed. "Peeta, tonight will be the last ball. You promised we could go home . . . "

Peeta turned on his side so he could face Katniss. As Lady Anne watched, he gently smoothed the sweaty tendrils of hair off his wife's forehead. He kissed her shoulder and murmured, "I never tire of hearing that word from your lips _._ "

"What word?" Katniss asked.

Lady Anne rolled her eyes.

"Home," Peeta said. His eyes were full of tenderness. He lowered his mouth to his wife's and they shared a long kiss.

Lady Anne recoiled. _Her_ home was . . . somewhere. With the stars? She died, or thought she did. But they left her with her memories, which was cruel. She was lonely.

She hadn't been dead very long, because her thoughts were all of the one person she had loved with all her heart. Or was it going to be like this forever? That was painful.

There was only one person at her deathbed, and that was Finnick. Funny how, the closer she got to passing on, the clearer his face became. He looked so -- old. Perhaps that was just exhaustion.

 _Oh Finnick,_ Lady Anne thought, _I have wronged you._

But then, not really, because now Lady Anne knew about the dark-haired woman, the one whose passage to London had been paid by Lady Lavinia -- that conniving bitch! She'd always known Finnick's aunt didn't like her.

How dare she convince Finnick to bundle her off to Bath, while paying for that Indian woman to come to London!

And, as part of Lady Anne's new reality, she could also see Finnick and the Indian woman making love: There was her husband, definitely not acting like a grieving widower, there he was in his (grand) London house, touching the woman in places, biting the inside of her thigh. It quite took Lady Anne's breath away. He kept touching the woman in the same place, over and over, and actually Lady Anne enjoyed watching (more than she enjoyed watching Peeta and Katniss, anyway)

 _Well, Finnick_ , Lady Anne thought, settling down to watch some more: _One is never too dead to learn!_

She didn't feel desire anymore: what she had was curiosity, a boundless urge to know. There was also something else, something powerful that coursed through her: was it thirst? She would have to think on it some more. It was easier to think when one was not constantly being distracted by one's body.

At least Finnick had paid for a funeral service. And a very nice service it was (even though it was extremely annoying to see the dark-haired Indian woman clinging to Finnick's arm!). The pastor delivered a wonderful eulogy which talked about Lady Anne's joining her beloved parents in the After-life (Not true; Lady Anne was entirely alone in the After-life. She wanted to interrupt but apparently no one could hear her)

Oh how Lady Anne wished there were someone with her in the Beyond! Where was her Beloved Daddy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was my trying to get Lady Anne to see the error of her ways. So of course, she has to see her former partners making glorious love to people she thinks are beneath her.


	52. THE FINAL BALL OF THE SEASON

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More love-making by Lady Katniss and Lord Peeta!
> 
> Spectral Lady Anne flits in and out.

Many times over the past months, Peeta had wondered if he would ever be free of the spectre of his past. But the steadfast presence of Katniss by his side, as well as the new life growing in her, gave him confidence. He knew society had not completely forgotten; it would never be as simple as all that. But his mother, Lady Laetitia, had been right to insist that he and Katniss spend the season in London. Though it was hard -- for both of them -- they had done it.

Of course, people were secretly glad that the handsome Earl had not banished himself to the countryside. It was good to see him looking fit and handsome. The details of the affair, the almost-duel, the antics of Lady Anne following, and her sad demise -- everything was known. And it was impossible to hang on to the sordid aspects of the tale, not when there were distractions like horse races and dinners and other social engagements.

Lord Finnick had left for India, giving no indication of the date of his return. More than one lady was known to sigh at the memory of his beauty and sense of honor. News gradually trickled out that he had re-married, and then people assumed he would not return to London, and looked elsewhere for a new subject of pity and gossip.

Perhaps the clearest sign that Lord Peeta was no longer regarded as such a disgrace was the time when the Prince of Wales exclaimed, after he had requested a formal introduction to Lady Katniss, "Upon my word, this is a ravishing beauty!" he had said, in the presence of at least a dozen people, including Lord Peeta. And then the Prince had asked her to dance, and Lady Katniss accepted graciously (even though by now her stomach was clear evidence of her condition). Lord Peeta basked in a feeling of pride, but after, when some other Lord requested the favor of a dance of his wife, Lord Peeta cut him off and told him that his wife was tired.

Lady Anne, who was always flitting about, was disgusted by this display of flattery (for it could only be that; no one could have pretended that the dusky woman was anything but low and common)

Lady Clove and Lady Glimmer kept their distance (though there was an evil plot fomenting in Lady Clove's brain, the seed planted there by a very-dear, but still lurking-about Spectral Lady Anne). For the fire of jealousy is never extinguished. Nay, septuagenarians and even octogenarians are susceptible to this base emotion, the same as a youth of fifteen.

That night, when Lady Katniss and Lord Peeta returned to the house of Lord Plutarch, they scarcely needed the fire that was already lit for them in the bedroom by the vigilant servants. Lady Katniss slipped out of her clothes with a sigh of relief, and was in the midst of slipping on her nightgown when she was stilled by Peeta laying a hand on her arm. Looking at him, she noticed the hectic flush in his cheeks, and the look in his eyes, and in spite of her tiredness, she did crave him, always. She bent over again on her hands and knees, and he entered her quickly. This time, even when he was fully sheathed within, he remained very still and Lady Katniss could not imagine what had come over him. Then he bent forward and kissed her ears, first the right and then the left, and he ran his thumb between her folds, and Lady Katniss arched her back to press further against him, the way only she knew how to do (she was getting quite good at the love-making) and he pushed her legs wider apart and then moved to grip her hips tightly, and then began to push (but not roughly, for he was always mindful of his wife's comfort) and then Lady Anne was shrieking somewhere in the thick darkness, but no one could hear her.

*     *     *     *

An hour later, Katniss and Peeta were fast asleep in each other's arms. But Lady Anne was still awake. For the dead have no need of sleep (Ha!) and she kept wishing for more -- activities -- from the two. Because it reminded her a little bit of Peeta and herself, _before_.

She now tried to remember where her favorite places had been with Peeta. Had it been in his London townhouse? Or his carriage? Or Lady Clove's house (where they had actually done *it* for the first time)? Regretfully, she dragged herself away from the sleeping couple, and decided to drop in on Lady Clove.

Lady Clove had an insatiable appetite (almost as insatiable as Lady Anne's had been) and she had a new pet, some boy she had found in some dreadful market town -- Helinham? Or something like?

But Lady Clove's husband was at home, and therefore Lady Clove was in her bedroom alone, gazing petulantly at her reflection in the mirror.

And then Lady Anne decided to drop in on the Prince of Wales, and he was in the middle of an absolutely furious argument with his father, the King. The Prince shrieked like a tavern wench when irate. What an abominable bore.

So she ended up going back to Katniss and Peeta's bedroom, and she very quietly lay down between the sleeping couple (She was as insubstantial as a feather and did not disturb them in the slightest).


	53. KATNISS's FIRST TRIP TO THE THEATRE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated another of my WIPs, Under Suspicion. But realized I hadn't updated High Ceilings in a few days. And I know if I leave a WIP too long, it will be AGES before I get back to it. So here's a completely angst-free update. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Added a little Annie/Darius scene at the end.

Before they left London, Peeta took Katniss to the theatre, for the first time. It was a silly farce, Peeta had chosen it simply so that Katniss could sit in a box that overlooked the stage. The plot (such as it was) was set in medieval times, and there were many silly antics and pratfalls by the actors, and in particular there was a headstrong character who was really a woman dressed as a man because it had always been her wish to become a Knight Templar and fight in the Crusades, and it would have been impossible for a woman to do so. When the woman's identity was finally revealed, it so happened that the leader of the Crusade, Lord something or other, had known all along that the man was really a woman, because he had seen her bathing or something like that, and he had fallen in love. Of course the bathing scene was never shown, but it was frequently referred to.

Katniss laughed with glee and clapped her hands at the most ridiculous parts -- and Peeta was well pleased with his choice of the evening's entertainment. When the curtain fell for the intermission, their box was visited by many lords and ladies they had come to meet over the past season. And Peeta was glad to see his wife become so popular. Because indeed she was the sweetest Countess ever to grace the London season, Peeta was sure of it. She was so beautiful, and her beauty was enhanced by her humility. And she was not afraid to laugh, her laugh indeed being quite boisterous. At first Peeta expected the other ladies (who normally tittered, never laughed) to be scandalized, but they were not. After a few weeks, Peeta thought he recognized his wife's rich laugh issuing from other ladies' mouths: in other words, Lady Katniss's forthright ways were regarded as worthy of imitation, and this by no less than high-born ladies. This was but one more indication of how accepted Katniss was becoming.

Before the curtains rose again for the play's second act, it was brought to Peeta's attention that the Prince of Wales was beckoning to him. Peeta looked over, and indeed the Prince was making the "come here" gesture. So Peeta rose and escorted his wife to the Prince's box. And the Prince again pressed his lips to the back of Lady Katniss's hand, and then insisted that Lord Peeta and Lady Katniss watch the rest of the play in his box. And since no one turns down a Prince, that is what they did, but it was regrettable for Peeta, because Katniss never opened her mouth to laugh, not once, not as she had done before the intermission.

As they were in the carriage heading home to Lord Plutarch's, Katniss laid her head on Peeta's shoulder. He responded by cupping her cheek with one hand, and leaning down for a kiss. There was a gust of air that, just then, blew in through the carriage window, and Katniss gasped for the interior of the carriage was suddenly cold. Peeta was all for berating his coachman for forgetting to close the window, but on second thought his coachman was not generally forgetful, and there was a slight vibration in his ear, as if someone were whispering his name, but in tones exceedingly sad. It reminded him of someone, but Peeta pushed the thought quickly out of his mind. For he did not want anything to spoil the evening, which he thought had been quite a successful one, especially the first part, before they had been invited to the Prince's box. Peeta took Katniss's wrap, which had slipped down to her lap, and arranged it tenderly around her shoulders. And then, he kept one arm wrapped around her, so that he could warm her a bit more. And he remained like that, holding his wife close, until it was time to alight.

*     *     *     *

"How long are you going to mope about?" said Darius.

Lady Anne ignored him. She watched intently as Peeta helped Katniss down from the carriage. She had discovered certain tricks -- things like causing doors to slam suddenly -- and she was hoping to get the chance to try one out on Katniss this evening.

"I have little else to do," she finally told Darius.

He slinked closer. He did not have a body anymore, which was helpful, but his presence was all-encompassing. "Perhaps you could pay a little more attention to me," he sulked.

"Arrogant fool," Lady Anne hissed.

Darius recoiled, but in the next moment was back again, coiling his heavy presence around her. "I'm not to be got rid of so easily anymore."

"Pygmy! Go busy yourself elsewhere!" Lady Anne hissed.

"Ah," Darius said coyly, "but like yourself, I have little else to do."

Lady Anne reluctantly directed her attention to him. "Where did you come from, anyway?" she demanded.

Suddenly, she heard a gasp and turned her attention back to Katniss and Peeta. Ugh, the pair were once again fucking.

"I flew here," Darius said. "I think."


	54. EPILOGUE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No promises but I think this is where the story should end. I've been tweaking, adding a line here, a line there, which is why it's twice as long now as the version I originally posted. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and for letting me know when I slipped up (lol) and for sticking with the story until the end!
> 
> I'm going back over the earlier chapters to try and clean up any discrepancies. If you catch something I've missed, please let me know.

Katniss and Peeta had returned, at last, to their estate. On the way home, they had stopped by Lady Prim's and Lord Plutarch's and had a chance to see how well the baby, James, was doing, and how much he had grown in the weeks since his birth. Lady Laetitia returned to the estate with them (she had been staying with Lady Prim while Katniss and Peeta finished out the London season). It was February.

Behind the chapel stood a towering beech. It had been there for as long as Peeta could remember. Stemming from one of its roots was a kind of natural altar. It was a moss-shrouded root on which were scattered a number of childish mementos, most left there by Peeta and Prim when they were children. There was a mug without a handle, some old coins, curiously shaped stones, and even a conch that an uncle had sent over from Queensland. All Peeta remembered of that uncle was that he was a very big man with a walrus moustache.

It was Peeta and Prim's favorite hide-away, when they wished to play Robbers & Pirates, or some other childish game. Later, they were joined by other childhood playmates, which of course eventually included Lady Anne.

It was afternoon when Peeta reached the birch. He was looking for one particular thing, and of course he found it: it was a sketch he had made of Lady Anne, when they were both children. He had given it to her when she was but 9 or 10. She had never parted from it, but now here it was.

It was rolled up, with a frayed yellow ribbon. Peeta stared at it.

"You remembered!" Lady Anne said. She was still spectral, of course, but somehow she had let Peeta know that she would be there.

"Of course I remembered," Peeta said. "I gave this to you on your birthday."

Lady Anne floated closer and put a hand on Peeta's arm. He did not feel it, but still he moved away.

"What happened to us?" she cried.

"I fell in love," Peeta said. "I am here only to beseech you to leave my wife and child alone. They have no part in your games."

"I called for you before I passed," Lady Anne said. "You promised, you promised you would always be there for me."

"It was you who chose to marry another. You married Lord Finnick."

"I was wrong!" Lady Anne said. "I realized too late."

Peeta shook his head. "I must head back."

"Your son will be born in March," Lady Anne said.

It had begun to rain. By the time Peeta got back to the house, he was drenched. Katniss, lying in bed, was upset that he had gone out under such conditions.

"It is nothing," he said. He changed into dry clothes, then leaned over and kissed her. "You are my life," he said.

Katniss took Peeta's hand and placed it over her belly. They had only to wait a few moments before the child gave a vigorous kick. Peeta laughed. Nothing thrilled him more than to feel the new life growing inside his wife.

"It is running out of room," Katniss murmured.

Less than a month later, on the 13th of March, she delivered a boy (the eldest of three sons, it would turn out).

Lord Peeta declared himself to be the proudest father in all of England (or, for that matter, all of England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland).

Lady Laetitia pronounced herself the happiest grandmother in the world, and proved it by bequeathing to her first (proper) grandchild (Lady Prim had delivered a son, but that son was a Heavensbee; Lady Laetitia's first "proper" grandchild was Peeta's eldest) a house in Hampstead (which at that time was not as built up as it is today), which Lord Peeta and Lady Katniss made use of during the following London season. It was a beautiful home, with a grand hall and a staircase made all of marble, and wide balconies on the upper floors. As their family grew, the Hampstead House became the site of many magnificent balls, and the smart set thought nothing of traveling there from Kensington or St. James.

The boy was named William Daniel Fitzsimmon Mellark, Daniel being the name of Lady Katniss's father.

The birth was not a difficult one, but Lord Peeta watched over Lady Katniss like a hawk (or maybe a mother hen) in the weeks following. The fires were constantly lit in whichever room of the house Lady Katniss chose to spend her time, for Lord Peeta worried much about drafts or other kinds of chill, and demanded that each room be checked thoroughly to see that all the windows were properly shut, and even when Lady Katniss had delivered her second, third and fourth child he would go on and on about the danger of cold (for one can never be too careful).

There was so much love in Peeta's heart that it made him anxious to be doing things. In May, two months after the birth of his first child, Peeta began planting again. The daffodils had just peaked, their yellow and orange blooms frowzy, when he began scattering rashes of phlox close by the Manor House. He built a conservatory, so that Katniss and their child could sit sheltered from flicks of wind. He filled the conservatory with pots of camellias, gardenias and hydrangeas. Katniss would sit here with her child, sighing sometimes, sighing in the way mothers do when their infants are feeding at the breast and all seems perfect happiness. Far off, doors in the house opened and shut, and Katniss hummed to herself, mostly nonsense rhymes, but Peeta loved to listen to her.

Peeta's second son, born two years after the first, was named Roger James Audley Mellark (which was confusing as he grew older, for he preferred James to Roger, and then people mixed him up with his first cousin, James Heavensbee).

Peeta's third son was born three years after Roger, and was named Malcolm Edward George Mellark.

The youngest child, a girl, was born six years after Roger. As in a fairy tale, her skin was white as snow and her hair was black as ebony. Her most striking feature, however, were her eyes: they were a constantly shifting color, sometimes the bright blue of bluebells, and other times the grey of rainclouds. Though Peeta was a good father and never discriminated among his children, it was clear to all that his daughter was his particular favorite. Her parents named her Georgiana Charlotte Mary Mellark.

After the girl was born, her parents spent less and less time in London, much preferring the peace and tranquility of the country and each other's loving company. Lord Peeta continued the improvements he had begun when he took over his responsibilities as Earl. At his wife's suggestion, he paid to have doctors come to the estate once a month, providing free medical care to those of his tenants and laborers who needed it. There were far fewer injuries, and far fewer illnesses, than had been the case previously. In fact, Lord Plutarch was so impressed with the results Lord Peeta achieved on the Mellark estate that he decided to implement a similar policy of free medical care on the Heavensbee estate.

It was Peeta's custom to paint a portrait of each of his children, on the occasion of their first birthday. These hung in the library, which was his and Katniss's favorite room in the entire manor. In the chapel, on the 20th anniversary of his wedding, he painted one more mural: that of himself, his wife, and their four children.

The children were never unescorted, not even when they were playing by themselves, and so they grew, and no harm ever came to them or to their parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure this is how children are named (with many names) but I thought it sounded like something the nobility might do. I don't know if the eldest son of the Earl gets his own title -- he probably does. Baron?
> 
> Peeta's worrying about Katniss being cold has something to do with the fact that he knows Lady Anne is still around (as a ghost). He associates a room's sudden drop of temperature as an indicator of her presence. That's why he keeps fussing over Katniss and his children. But looks like Lady Anne finally respected his wishes and left his family alone. (Maybe Ghost Anne got used to Ghost Darius after a while -- !)
> 
> And I added a bit about Peeta building a conservatory so that Katniss could nurse in a sunny spot filled with flowers.


	55. OUTTAKE 1 - BECAUSE I CAN'T QUIT YOU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing this in Bath, England. And even though I've finished HIGH CEILINGS (my first ever completed fan fic), I had to go back to this story.

Katniss walks slowly along the woodland path, holding an infant in her arms: William Daniel Fitzsimmon Mellark, born just two months earlier.

Peeta was summoned to settle a dispute between two of his tenants and Katniss chose the time to take a walk in the woods. When Peeta returns home a few hours later, when the servants tell him where his wife has gone, he is angry. The woods hold the ghosts of summers past (and maybe an all-too-present one). And with the infant, too! Where is the nursemaid?

The nursemaid appears and, with profuse apologies, tells Lord Peeta that Lady Katniss said she would not be needed (The nursemaid was only too happy to have an hour of leisure: a somewhat flighty girl, Peeta decides. He will send her away, back to the village, in a few weeks).

She did not realize her mistress would be gone so long: by the time Lord Peeta returns, Katniss and baby William have been in the woods just over two hours. Peeta sets off at once.

The trees begin behind the chapel. Peeta loved to play there when he was a child. The ground beneath the trees is densely carpeted with woodruff. At one point, the ground plunges steeply into a river. There's an old bridge that spans the river, but it's in need of repair.

Peeta's gut twists as he approaches the bridge, looking for his wife and child.

 _What are you afraid of?_ whispers a familiar voice.

Peeta's jaw clenches. He orders his servants forward. The bright sunshine of the day has been overtaken by a deep shade.

 _Stay with me a little_ , the voice says. _I want you to play. Remember how you used to weave me crowns of new leaves and flowers?_

At that point, Peeta hears it: his wife's voice. She is singing.

His eyes dart around wildly, searching for something to focus on. His wife's voice grows louder. Peeta grows dizzy, blinded by deep greenery.

Suddenly, she -- Katniss -- is standing before him. She holds their son. In her dark hair is a sprinkling of white starry flowers. She seems surprised to see him.

He pulls them -- wife and child -- roughly toward him, without speaking. He embraces them in his strong arms. "I thought," he begins, "I thought -- "

"Why so afraid, husband?" Katniss murmurs. "I was only out for a walk."

But Peeta can't answer. With his eyes closed, with the scent of his wife's hair in his nostrils, he's already forgotten his fear.

 

 


	56. MADAME TRINKET TO THE RESCUE!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the Specter of Lady Anne is Banished From Lord Peeta's Estate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's all about the ghost again. After this chapter, though, no more Lady Anne appearances!

After that episode when Lady Katniss had gone by herself to the woods, Lord Peeta issued strict instructions to his staff that she was never to go anywhere on the grounds unaccompanied. He did not wish any harm to come to his wife, or to his infant son, and the thought of the spectral presence of Lady Anne weighed much on his mind.

At length, during a visit of his sister, Lady Primrose, and her son James (Lord Plutarch was off on an extended trip through his Scottish estates), he broached the matter of "the presence." Upon listening to her brother, Lady Primrose gasped and her eyes filled with tears of sympathy. "Will she never, ever quit thee, brother?" she murmured, lifting a hand to her brother's sorrowful cheek.

"I fear not," Peeta said, in a most melancholy tone.

Lady Primrose immediately made up her mind to "take steps." What these steps would be, she was not exactly sure. She had heard talk (gossip, actually) among the fast set of certain "specialists" whose services were sometimes needed to clear "spirits" from certain places -- for example, when there had been a murder (as sometimes happened, even in the castles and mansions of the high-born) and the victim wished restitution.

In the case of Lady Anne, Lady Primrose did not believe that her brother owed the Lady anything, but perhaps it would make his life easier if Lady Primrose (without confiding in Peeta's wife, of course) were to engage the services of such a specialist.

She thenceforth put out the word among her friends, and presently a woman calling herself "Madame Epifania Trinket" appeared at the door to Lady Prim's London townhouse.

The lady was extremely eccentric in appearance: she had an enormous pink hat, and matching satin gloves, and her coat had a sparkly texture whose like Lady Primrose had never seen, not even in the royal courts of Belgium or France. Madame Trinket had heard about the case of Lord Peeta and Lady Anne (as the details of the star-crossed romance were widely known in London, if not in all of England).

"The Lady died of syphilis, did she not?" Madame Trinket inquired, and at that Lady Primrose's face turned as red as a rose.

"I do not have the exact particulars," Lady Primrose said, in her haughtiest tone.

"Uff! No matter!" Madame Trinket said, laughing airily. "I can easily rid your brother of his dead paramour. Anything can be achieved, if there is determination!"

After an hour's discourse, Lady Primrose's mind was set at ease, and she arranged to meet Madame Trinket at Peeta's estate, on a day when she knew her brother and Lady Katniss as well as their mother were making a weekend excursion to York.

The day arranged was a Saturday, and it turned out to be quite a warm, beautiful day. Lady Primrose awaited the arrival of Madame Trinket at the manor gates, accompanied only by two maidservants. Madame Trinket arrived in an enormous buggy with the top down, and Lady Primrose joined her in the equipage, along with her maids. The buggy then moved smartly along the country road (Lady Primrose had much cause to thank her brother's diligence in re-paving the paths encircling the estate) and soon they arrived at the family chapel.

Madame Trinket descended from the buggy with great energy and made straight for the chapel doors. "Ah!" she burst out. "I knew it. See? There? The witch's marks."

Lady Primrose peered in the direction Madame Trinket indicated but saw nothing. Nevertheless, the hair on her arms quite stood on end.

"Let us proceed!" Madame Trinket said, and burst into the chapel.

It had been almost a year since Lady Prim had been to the chapel, for she was much engaged in the raising of her son James, and her brother and Lady Katniss themselves had been very busy, and so there was little opportunity for Lady Primrose to go traipsing about her childhood estate. But now she saw, for the first time, the new murals Peeta had painted of his family, and she stood for a moment, quite awestruck, as did Madame Trinket.

"Good heavens!" Madame Trinket said, pressing a gloved hand to her breast. "Who is the artist? He is quite marvelous!"

"It is my brother," Lady Primrose whispered, feeling at that moment quite overcome.

Madame Trinket was quiet a moment. She walked up to one of the murals and peered at it. This showed Katniss and Peeta in a pergola. Their figures were standing close. Their heads were bent toward each other. Madame Trinket put out a hand and ran it over Peeta's form. Then she brought her fingers to her nose and pronounced, "Spectral tears! The Lady Anne feels much attachment toward your brother!"

"Yes, and it is an attachment that is slowly killing him!" Lady Primrose cried.

Madame Trinket turned and looked at Lady Primrose in some surprise. "She cannot kill your brother! What a thing to say!" she said.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew through the chapel, and a voice, clear as a bell, said:

"I can kill him, if I so wish it, and I do wish it!"

Lady Primrose and Madame Trinket clung to each other and saw, walking down the central aisle of the chapel, none other than Lady Anne. She moved stiffly, as if very frail. Beside her was a man with red hair. He had a terrible face -- two hollowed eyes, no nose to speak of -- Lady Primrose gave a cry and fainted dead away.

When next she came to, she was lying on the floor, supported by Madame Trinket, who had somehow lost her hat and her gloves. Not only that, her hair was in complete disarray, and her skirt was rent. Yet, there was a look of supreme contentment on Madame Trinket's face.

"What -- what has happened?" Lady Primrose gasped.

"Oh, the Lady Anne and myself, and that odious Darius -- a pig, if I may be allowed to cast aspersions -- had a conversation! Is it not too marvelous? They have acceded to my request and taken themselves off to India."

"India!" Lady Primrose burst out. "To bother Finnick?"

"Well, I have no idea what they might do in India, but that is not of concern to us now! What matters is, they shall not return here."

"But, what -- how were you able to arrange it?" Lady Primrose cried.

"Lady Anne simply cannot abide the scent of garlic, and I flung it all over her -- streams of garlic juice, in great streams!"

"What?" Lady Primrose almost screamed. Now she knew what that -- stench -- was. "But how is anyone to use the chapel, with it stinking so?"

"Oh! You are too ridiculous, my lady!" Madame Trinket laughed. "Essence of garlic fades after a time. But the mark is very strong. I made sure to apply my strongest dose. It has been distilled after a year of boiling. Do not worry; presently it will smell like lavender. I am of course the greatest applier of scents in spectral England. And worth every penny!"


	57. LADY CLOVE and LADY GLIMMER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm entertaining myself with writing short outtakes about various characters. This was written with tongue-in-cheek (of course)

Lady Clove was back to entertaining herself with balls. It was winter, and there was very little to do. Her husband had been at her to cut back on her spending and had even spoken to his banker about reducing her allowance. Lady Clove found him quite odious and was pouring her heart out to Lady Glimmer.

"How horrid he is," Lady Clove said, referring to her husband, "to mention the word 'debt' to me!"

"It is a horrid word," Lady Glimmer rushed to agree.

"It is the silliest word in the English language," Lady Clove said. "Thankfully, he is away now, galloping after foxes in the country."

"So now you are free," Lady Glimmer said, with a smirk.

"Verily," Lady Clove said. "And, to celebrate the occasion, I have purchased this little trinket." She touched her throat, where an elegant diamond pendant nestled.

"Indeed!" Lady Glimmer pronounced, marveling at her friend's audacity. "Will that not make the Duke very irate?"

"I pray, do not bring up that odious, vulgar man! He knows nothing of pleasure, or of passion!"

"And you do, hmmm?" Lady Glimmer tittered.

"I do play on certain -- instruments -- quite well," Lady Clove sighed. "After all, one must have some way to occupy one's time."

"And that is why you are giving another ball a fortnight hence?" Lady Glimmer said, enthusiastically.

"Yes," Lady Clove said, with a smug expression. "Let us say, there are several lords I desire to know more -- familiarly."

"You imp!" Lady Glimmer said, striking Lady Clove lightly on her arm with an ivory fan.

There was a brief silence, while both highborn ladies contemplated their current and past affairs.

"You know she is with child again," Lady Glimmer began.

"Who?" Lady Clove said, icily.

"Oh, I, errr -- " Lady Glimmer said, blushing furiously.

"You do not mean -- the dusky impostor?" Lady Clove said. She was quite furious, and got up with a sharp rustle of her skirts. "Why should you even bring her up?"

"Well, I do think," Lady Glimmer faltered, "that -- that it is quite remarkable that -- "

Suddenly, a gentleman visitor was announced. At the name, Lady Glimmer's eyebrows rose very high. "Lord Cato!" she said, quite surprised.

The gentleman himself entered, not a moment later, and immediately seated himself on the divan, quite close to Lady Clove.

Seeing that, Lady Glimmer rose at once. She was quite shocked, as Lord Cato had but recently married.

"Is your husband at home?" Lord Cato inquired of Lady Clove.

"No, he is in the country," Lady Clove replied, with alacrity.

"You have no plans to join him yourself?" Lord Cato said.

"Certainly not!" Lady Clove tittered. "How can I? I have too many social engagements!"

"Ah!" Lord Cato said, taking Lady Clove's hand.

And with that, Lady Glimmer excused herself. As she was being helped into her carriage by her footman, Lady Glimmer thought -- not for the first time -- how wonderful her life would be if she possessed the audacity of her friend. Her foot slipped at the thought.

The footman, however, was alert and caught Lady Glimmer before she succeeded in tumbling to the pavement.

"Milady!" the footman cried. "Are you all right?"

"Oh!" Lady Glimmer said, clutching her chest in feigned alarm. "I feel quite faint!"

The footman rose, took Lady Glimmer in his strong arms, and deposited her carefully in the carriage.

"What is your name?" Lady Glimmer asked, looking intently into her footman's eyes.

"John, My Lady," the footman said. "Shall we proceed to your residence?"

"Not quite yet," Lady Glimmer said. "I would like to talk a turn about Regent's Park."


	58. LADY CLOVE'S BALL

The ballroom at Lady Clove's Grosvenor Square house has never looked so grand. It is brightly lit and full of guests. At the top of the staircase stands the hostess herself, a woman still in full possession of her beauty. She receives the guests as they ascend. Over the well of the staircase hangs a great chandelier with wax lights which illuminated a large French tapestry representing The Triumph of Love, from a design by Boucher. On the right was the entrance to the music room, from which emanated the faint sounds of a string quartet. The entrance on the left led to a further series of reception rooms. Lady Glimmer and another woman -- Lady Bristel? -- were seated together on a Louis-Seize sofa. They were tittering excitedly behind their fans.

They both looked up when Lady Clove approached them.

"And what are you two gossipping about now?" Lady Clove asked.

"We were only just saying that this is a delightful party," Lady Glimmer answered at once. "You must be quite pleased."

"Oh! It is horridly tedious! Lord Cato could not attend."

"What?" both Lady Glimmer and Lady Bristel burst out.

"Ah! His dear mother asked him to chaperone his niece to Paris."

"How very odious!" Lady Bristel put in.

"In this day and age, I cannot fathom how a girl still needs a chaperone!" Lady Clove said, peevishly.

"Indeed, it is very rude," Lady Glimmer agreed.

"And so I have determined to meet many people tonight," Lady Clove proceeded.

Lady Bristel craned her neck at the assembled company. "Who?"

"Well, anyone sufficiently -- handsome. How trivial of you to ask!"

"I do have someone who has asked to be formally introduced to you," Lady Bristel said, with a simper.

"And who would that be?" Lady Clove said, her eyes brightening.

"His name is Lord Marvel," Lady Bristel said. "And I can attest that he is very, very well endowed."


	59. BAD MEMORIES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Peeta and Lady Katniss put in an unexpected appearance at Lady Clove's ball.
> 
> Introducing Lord Plutarch's uncle, General Haymitch Abernathy.
> 
> Peeta is in a bad mood over having to be at the ball.
> 
> I corrected the name of Peeta's mother: it is not Lady Laetitia, it is Lady Laurentia. Lady Laetitia is Finnick's aunt. (Sorry! I hadn't re-read the earlier chapters before posting this most recent series)

"Oh my goodness!" exclaims Lady Clove, clutching the am of Lady Glimmer.

A couple has just been announced. They are a very handsome couple indeed. Everyone turns their heads as the couple passes. Lady Clove turns as white as a sheet.

"Are you all right?" inquires Lady Bristel in some anxiety. She is not as accustomed to Lady Clove's moods as Lady Glimmer is.

Collecting herself, Lady Clove ignored Lady Bristel's question and surged forward to meet the couple.

"How too, too charming!" Lady Clove sang, in a high, girlish voice. "Is that really you, Peeta?"

The handsome man turned his head, for it was indeed Peeta. He tightened his hold on the woman by his side, for it was of course his wife, Lady Katniss.

"What a delightful surprise, my Lord!" Lady Clove gushed. "You do me great honor by gracing my humble abode with your presence. I had delivered the invitation to your dear mother, Lady Laurentia, but she -- oh, is she not with you?" Lady Clove continued, craning her neck to look behind Peeta while studiously ignoring Katniss's presence.

"My dear mother could not attend. My wife and I are here in her stead," Peeta responded.

Lady Katniss seemed to tremble, perhaps from the cold.

"Are you quite all right, my dear?" Peeta inquired tenderly. "Are you cold?"

"I am quite comfortable, I assure you, dear husband," Katniss replied. "But we should proceed. We are holding up the line."

"Oh, pish posh the line!" Lady Clove cried. "Peeta, it has been an age!"

Suddenly, a voice called out, "Peeta!" Lady Clove snapped her head up. Rapidly bearing down on them was a small blonde woman, in coloring very much like Lord Peeta.

Lade Clove made to move away, but the other woman was blocking her path. Directly behind the small blonde woman was Lord Plutarch.

"Well, this ball has practically turned into a carnival!" Lady Clove cried.

"Good evening, Lady Clove," Lady Prim said, as civilly as she could. "I -- "

"Quite right," Lord Plutarch said, inserting his large body between the two women. "Let's get a move on, my dear. I have just spotted my dear uncle, General Abernathy. There, waving. If you will excuse us, Lady Clove."

With that, the party of four -- Lord Peeta, Lady Katniss, Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch -- sailed off. Lady Clove looked after them with a murderous gaze.

"Oh my dear," Lady Glimmer said. She had materialized as soon as it was clear there was to be no unpleasantness. "How dreadful to see Peeta chained to that woman."

"She's quite pretty," Lady Bristel said innocently.

"Hush!" Lady Glimmer hissed at Lady Bristel.

*     *     *     *

"What are you saying, General Abernathy?"

"I am saying, Lord Islington," General Abernathy said, "that I never believe anything I hear in a ball."

"Really?" Lord Islington said. "The only real information is what is shared during a ball."

Before General Abernathy could respond, Lord Plutarch clapped a hearty hand on his shoulder and said, "Dear Uncle!"

Lord Plutarch and Lady Prim exchanged a few delightful pleasantries with the General and his companions. Lord Peeta and Lady Katniss, meanwhile, excused themselves to partake of the refreshments. 

Peeta glanced worriedly at Katniss. "My dear, are you sure you are all right?" he asked, at least three or four times.

"I am sure, husband," Katniss said. "Do stop fussing. If we could but sit . . . "

"Perhaps," Peeta said, "we should not have come. I would have been perfectly content to be at home in the country. I hate this gossip, this pettiness, this -- this -- _cruelty_ . . . "

"Your mother, do you remember how adamant she was, last night, at dinner."

"Yes, yes, of course, we must never argue with her -- "

"Yes."

"Quite. Her opinions must always outweigh my own."

"But we are here now. So we must make the best of it."

"I would rather be at home. With my family. Instead of smiling at this pack of idiots."

"Peeta," Lady Prim said, coming up suddenly behind her brother. "Do stop being so peevish." Lady Prim turned to Katniss with a sympathetic smile on her face. "How are you feeling, my dear?"

Katniss smiled with gratitude at her sister-in-law. "I am fine," she murmured.

"Shall we send our husbands to fetch us refreshments?" Lady Prim asked, wiggling her eyebrows at Katniss suggestively.

"Certainly, my love!" Lord Plutarch said. Since the birth of their son James, Lord Plutarch had only become more solicitous of his wife. He hurried off.

Katniss turned questioningly towards Peeta. "And -- ?"

"I am not leaving your side," Peeta said firmly. "Not for one moment."

"I am with Prim," Katniss said.

"Even so," Peeta said.

"Oh, you men!" Katniss said, making a gesture of frustration.

 


	60. AFTER THE BALL:  DESIRE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knives out!

Lady Glimmer has taken the first opportunity to drop by Lady Clove's. It has been two days since the ball and there is much to discuss.

She is greatly surprised to find Lady Clove still in bed, even though it is almost noon.

"Why do you appear so disconsolate, my dear?" Lady Glimmer inquires. She adds, "Could it be thoughts of a certain -- man?"

"I can assure you," Lady Clove says at once, "I am not thinking of Lord Peeta. Not at all."

"Of course, I would never have thought -- " Lady Glimmer protests.

"That woman, however -- " Lady Clove says.

"It will not last," Lady Glimmer assures her.

"Yes, but how I hate that everyone tittered over her."

"Oh, no, they were only wondering how such a simpleton could be permitted to marry a lord."

"Yes, truly, what a travesty. As if a man like Peeta could ever be satisfied with the country life."

"It is so very evident how much he missed attending London -- er -- dinner parties."

"Yes. So you do remember how much he adored them. Particularly mine. He always said I was very clever. And how stupid everyone appeared in comparison."

"Oh, my! Did he really say such a thing to you?"

Lady Clove smirks. "He did, indeed."

"Well," Lady Glimmer says, "He was looking very fine last night."

"Perhaps if I had gotten a chance with him alone -- " Lady Clove sighs.

"What? With his wife there?" Lady Glimmer asks.

"Well, I would at least have made him a -- proposition. And, knowing Peeta, he would have accepted with alacrity. Ugh. How I simply detest that woman. I have it on the best authority that he would never have married her if she had not lied about being with child."

"But his son was born a year after the wedding!"

"Which proves that she lied when she told him she was pregnant the first time! Why else would he have married her?"

"Ah! How wicked! How inexcusable! Peeta must be in absolute hell!"

"And Peeta being as he is -- so severe on himself, always -- will never divorce her!"

"Oh, she is a minx! A harlot!"

"I do not believe the talk that he is a new man, that he is reformed, that he believes in the sanctity of the marriage bed."

"Of course not."

"In fact, there is not a man in the world who would not be flattered if I made love to them."

"Of course not! Not a man in the world! My dear, you are simply irresistibly adorable."

"There is not a man in the world who would object to being kissed -- particularly if it were _by me!_ "

"Not one! Unless it were -- perhaps -- someone like Lord Plutarch . . . "

At that, Lady Clove made a horrible face. After a few moments she mused aloud, "What do you think Peeta would do if I kissed him?"

"He would divorce the harlot forthwith."

"Truly? You do not think he would recoil, or perhaps strike me across the face?"

"Absolutely not! He would fall in love with you. Most assuredly."

"Then I _shall_ kiss him!"

At this, Lady Glimmer clapped her hands in glee. She had not had this much fun, since -- since --

"Perhaps," Lady Clove said, breaking into Lady Glimmer's thoughts, "perhaps it is an arrow shot into the air . . . "

"My dear," Lady Glimmer protested, "you succeed at everything you try."

"True."

"Men like Peeta depend on us to rescue them from their failures. They lean on us."

"They cling to us."

"Always," Lady Glimmer assured her friend.

"Peeta needs me."

"He finds you absolutely tantalizing."

*     *     *     *

The next day, an unexpected kink was thrown into Lady Clove's plans: her husband returned from the country.

"Why are you back so soon?" were Lady Clove's first words to her husband upon encountering him in the hallway.

"I missed you," her husband said querulously. Lady Clove would have burst out laughing if her husband's very next words had not struck terror into her heart: "Why have you never made love to me?"

"I have, too!" Lady Clove retorted.

"Really?" Her husband said. "I wonder why I never noticed."

 

 


	61. LADY CLOVE'S HUSBAND RETURNS UNEXPECTEDLY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past is never gone. In fact, it's not even past.
> 
> Remember when Peeta tried to assauge his broken heart by traveling to Paris and engaging in a series of superficial affairs? Well, one of those ladies shows up in London, in the home of Lady Clove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave up searching early chapters for the name of Lady Clove's husband and decided to name him Lord Cassius.

"Oh my dearest husband," Lady Clove says, bowing her head. "It pleases me to know you still wish to make love to me."

"There, there. This trivial conversation bores me," Lord Cassius says, gesturing dismissively. "What have you been up to during my absence?"

"Nothing very exciting, I'm afraid," Lady Clove says.

"My dear, let us proceed to the music room. There you can more fully explain what you mean by 'not very exciting,'" her husband says.

They are making slow progress (as the Lord is quite feeble) when the footman appears. "Lord Cato!" he announces.

Lady Clove turns, shocked. Before she can say anything, Lord Cato himself appears, wearing a bright purple necktie. He seems startled by the presence of Lady Clove's husband. He recovers quickly, however, and makes a low bow. "Good Morning! Lord Cassius Lady Clove!"

"And pray, what are you doing here, Lord Cato?" Lady Clove's husband asks, irritably.

"I was going to pay my respects to -- to -- your lovely wife."

"Fascinating!" Lord Cassius says.

"It's been exceedingly quiet since you've been away hunting, my Lord," Lady Clove puts in.

"Yes, well, we should all enjoy such quiet," Lord Cassius says. "And what is this I heard about a ball?"

"Only a very little ball," Lady Clove says.

"It is not enough you go riding every morning, attend the theater three times a week, change your clothes at least five times a day, and dine out every night with your set, you must throw a ball? You don't call that leading a quiet life, do you?"

"Well, she is a very charming lady," Lord Cato puts in.

"It is well of you to say so, Lord Cato," Lord Cassius put in. "I am sure you have been visiting more often." Lord Cassius stops, looks at Lord Cato, tilts his head to one side and says, "You look very well with your purple cravat!"

"Oh, this?" Lord Cato says, gesturing toward his cravat. "A little flourish added by my tailor. He thought my outfit needed a little _je ne sais quoi_."

*     *     *     *

After an hour of rather desultory conversation in the music room, Lord Cato makes a show of glancing at his watch. "I must be off. I have promised my wife to go with her for a turn around St. James."

"Well then, off with you!" Lord Cassius says. "Can't keep the wife waiting now, can we? And please give her our love!"

As soon as Lord Cato has been shown out, Lord Cassius turns to Lady Clove and says, "He lost the baby, you know."

"I -- I did not know his wife was expecting," Lady Clove says, growing pale.

"Not his wife! Good God, woman! His mistress of course! Lady Montalban!"

"His mistress -- " Lady Clove murmurs.

"Yes, what young men will get up to nowadays," Lord Cassius says. "By the way, I heard Lord Peeta and his wife were at your ball. Must have been a bit of a surprise, wasn't it? I knew his late father, bless his soul. There is nothing like family, is there? I wonder his mother did not put in an appearance. Lovely woman, the Lady Laurentia."

At that moment, the footman appears again. "Announcing, Lady Chiveley."

"Lady Chiveley?" Lord Cassius says, his eyebrows raised. "I know no Lady Chiveley!"

"Neither do I, dear husband. I hear she is a friend of Lady Bristel's, but newly arrived from Paris!"

With that, the Lady herself enters the music room. Her pale cheeks are accentuated with rouge. Her grey-green eyes move restlessly. Her gown is heliotrope. Around her slender neck is a choker of delicate diamonds. She looks rather like an orchid.

She comes forward gracefully, hands extended toward Lady Clove.

"My dear!" Lord Cassius exclaims, in an awed tone. "You are a veritable work of art!"

Lady Chiveley's only response is a coy smile.

"And what brings you to our part of the world?" Lord Cassius continues.

"Well, dear Lord Cassius and Lady Clove," says Lavy Chiveley, with only the slightest trace of a French accent, "I used to have a very good friend, who was an Englishman, who told me many wonderful stories about your country."

"Indeed!" Lord Cassius exclaims. "Were you at school together?"

"Oh, no!" Lady Chiveley laughs. "We met long after. He was traveling in Paris to repair a broken heart."

"A broken heart!" Lord Cassius exclaims.

"Excuse me, I meant, a broken engagement."

"You cannot mean -- Lord Peeta Mellark?" Lady Clove cries.

Lady Chiveley raises a pair of startled eyes to Lady Clove. "Ah, _chere madame, quelle surprise!_ It is indeed Lord Peeta Mellark to whom I refer!"

"Ah!" Lady Clove says, schooling her face into a perfect blank. "I think you will find there is still much in common between you and Lord Mellark!"

"So," Lady Chiveley says, her gray-green eyes narrowing slightly, "you know the gentleman quite well?"

"Oh, quite well," Lady Clove replies. "The Lady Anne was my bosom friend."

"I heard what happened to her," Lady Chiveley continues, in a softer tone. _"Quelle horrible."_

"And he is married now, you know," Lady Clove says.

"So soon?" Lady Chiveley says, raising her eyebrows. "Did not Lady Anne pass away just -- "

"Two years ago," Lady Clove says. "But nowadays, people marry as often as they can. It is quite the fasion." Lady Clove's eyes dart to her husband, who is listening with his lip curled.

"Lord Peeta has a son. And if talk can be trusted, is expecting a second child."

"Oh!" Lady Chiveley says, opening her fan with a sudden, sharp rap. "You seem to be very well acquainted with Lord Peeta."

"He was just here," Lord Cassius says. "My wife gave a ball."

"Indeed?" Lady Chiveley says, smiling thinly. "Well, I am simply here to accompany my husband, Lord Balmoral."

"Lord Balmoral!" Lord Cassius bursts out. "You cannot be the wife of the new Foreign Minister?"


	62. PEETA IS AGAIN THE SUBJECT OF CONVERSATION

"Indeed, I am the wife of the Foreign Minister," Lady Chiveley says, simpering.

"He is a great man," Lord Cassius says, almost worshipfully. "I am charmed, most charmed to make the acquaintance of his beautiful wife!"

Lord Cassius makes a deep bow and presses a fervent kiss to the back of Lady Chiveley's gloved hand.

Lady Clove shoots daggers at Lady Chiveley.

The footman enters again. "Lady Glimmer and Lady Bristel!" he announces.

Both ladies are ushered in.

"Why," Lady Glimmer says, pausing at the sight of the three gathered in the music room. "Is this a soirée?"

"Lady Bristel!" Lady Chiveley pronounces.

"Lady Chiveley!" Lady Bristel pronounces.

" _Ma cherie!_ " Lady Chiveley says, advancing with arms open wide towards Lady Bristel.

"And I see you have met my friend, Lady Clove," Lady Bristel says.

"And her charming husband," Lady Chiveley says, pointedly smiling at Lord Cassius

Lord Cassius flushes. "Fie, you flatter me, my lady," he says, addressing Lady Chiveley with twinkling eyes.

"You mean: you butter me, rather," Lady Clove hisses, under her breath.

" _Quelle comment?_ " Lady Chiveley says, turning to Lady Clove with one eyebrow raised. "I am afraid I do not know that expression: _to butter_."

"Do you not? I would have thought acquaintance with Lord Peeta would have taught you the expression," Lady Clove says.

"Oh! Have you been talking about Lord Peeta?" Lady Bristel says.

"I made his acquaintance in France," Lady Chiveley says.

"But he lives mostly in the country now," Lady Bristel says.

"Truly?" Lady Chiveley says, with a most ironic look in her eyes. "How disappointing."

 


	63. THE EARL AND HIS WIFE AT HOME

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is short, but I'll try to add little by little.
> 
> Katniss and Peeta are expecting a second child (but it is early in the pregnancy)

It is the smells of ordinariness that Peeta loves most. And it is those smells that come up to greet him and Katniss as the carriage ends its night drive and pulls up at the door to the manor.

The smells are of woods and open air (smells both Peeta and Katniss love). Katniss makes Peeta keep the carriage windows lowered, even though he worries much about her catching a chill (for she is with child again)

His wife had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Strands of her hair stuck to her cheek. He looked down at her all the way from London. Each succeeding visit only convinced him: she had saved him. He misses nothing about his former life.

Their son, William Daniel Fitzsimmon, is turning two. What will Peeta give him as a birthday present? The child is old enough now to be active, to think about toys.

Prim and her son, James, are spending the week with them. Lord Plutarch still has business in London, so it is less lonely for Prim to be at Peeta's. Besides, James and Peeta's son are so well suited in temperament. James is but a few months older; he and Peeta's son are almost like twins, even in appearance.

In the years since his wedding to Katniss, Peeta has cultivated many interests, all of which bind him closer and closer to his ancestral estate. Plants, for instance. Varieties of seeds. Animal husbandry. At his wife's urging, Peeta has planted many trees around his estate. They are still saplings, but in a few years, they will form leafy tunnels along the lanes.

He is a contented man.

"My sweet, my love," he whispers to his sleeping wife, murmuring her awake.

The next day, he will draw up plans for the new child's room. As he did for his firstborn, he will design a distinct pattern of wallpaper, something blue with streaks of orange (he would have done up William Daniel's room entirely in orange if his wife had not dissuaded him). He will lose himself in the planning, until the child is born. It is work laid firm upon his heart. It is what he has promised himself, his wife, his mother, his sister, everyone near and dear to him: he will build this castle-hearth of happiness, here and now.

Lady Laurentia, who for a time was doing poorly, drew strength from her children's happiness. As her brood of grandchildren grew, as Peeta proved himself to be a good manager of the family estate, her health gradually improved.


	64. KATNISS RECEIVES A VISITOR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Lady Delilah of Gobelin, Peeta's second cousin.

Lady Katniss is spending her day doing what she most loves: reading. She and Peeta have just returned from another London season, and this last one she found particularly tiresome. She tried to smile, to be polite to everyone, and especially not to participate (or listen to) gossip, but it was impossible to ignore, especially as she and Peeta were the couple everyone loved to gossip about.

She would forever be the Dusky Vixen, the one who snared the handsome Earl, despite her absolute lack of qualifications. Her guilelesness is interpreted as manipulativeness, her politeness as coldness, her earnestness as uncouthness. In short, she hates London. Yet, her mother-in-law, Lady Laurentia, insists that she and Peeta have "an obligation" to attend each season. This has meant spending the dreary months in Lord Plutarch's townhouse, leaving her son William Daniel in the country, with his doting grandmother Lady Laurentia, and various nannies. Not that she would ever defy Lady Laurentia. Her mother-in-law has offered her sober guidance, especially in the turbulent months just before her wedding to Peeta, when it seemed all of London had their knives out for her. She would never forget her first London season after the wedding, the acid glances, the aspersions whispered behind fans. There were people who refused to accept her proferred hand, and several women who persisted in acting as if Peeta were still a bachelor. She hopes, after the birth of her second child, she will be excused from doing further seasons, at least for several years.

Today, however, Katniss is expecting a visitor. This is none other than Lady Delly, Peeta's second cousin, married to Lord Cray, Baron of Gobelin. Lady Delly has been an infrequent visitor. She lives in the south, near Brighton. She and Katniss occasionally see each other in London, but Katniss is not one to socialize and she knows little of Lady Delly's set. Katniss wonders about Lady Delly's visit. Has it anything to do with Lord Cray, who has accepted an official post in Egypt?

William Daniel, Katniss's two-year-old, is with his nanny in the nursery. How Katniss wishes she could be there right now. Then her thoughts wander to she and Peeta last night. He has been particularly fervent since their return from London. Soon, soon her belly will make it impossible to do -- certain things. She smiles secretively to herself, relishing the memory of Peeta's strong arms, his hips between her thighs.

The footman's announcement breaks into her thoughts: "Lady Delilah!"

Katniss quickly lays down her book. In the next moment, Lady Delly herself is in the room. Katniss smiles politely. "Lady Delly," she says. "How good of you to pay us this visit."

Lady Delly comes forward, kisses Katniss on both cheeks, then situates herself prettily on the sofa. Katniss rings a small bell, and a maidservant enters.

"Tea, please," Katniss says. Then, she remembers to turn to Delly and ask, "Do you have a particular preference? Our black tea is from India. We also have Oolong and Chamomile . . . "

"Black," Delly answers.

Katniss nods and turns to the maidservant, who gives a brief curtsey and exits the room. Lady Delly looks around her with an approving air. "How prettily you have done up this room!" she tells Katniss.

"Thank you," Katniss says.

"Have you put in new curtains?" Lady Delly inquires.

"Yes," Katniss says.

"And the view -- I don't remember it being quite as luscious," Lady Delly says.

Katniss quirks an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I don't quite follow -- "

"The meadow there used to be quite brown and dull. Now it is brilliant green. That is what I meant," Lady Delly says.

"Thank you," Katniss says. "Peeta has been landscaping."

"And you?" Lady Delly inquires sweetly. "How have you been occupying your time?"

Katniss grants Lady Delly a level look. Then she says, "I have been getting to know the tenants on the estate."

"The tenants!" Lady Delly titters. "What on earth for?"

"They have been working for Peeta's family for generations," Katniss says, a note of reproach in her voice.

"Oh, I see," Lady Delly sniffs, unable to suppress her tone of disdain. "And yourself? How have you been keeping?"

"I am very well," Katniss says. "I have more than enough to occupy my time."

"How remarkable," Lady Delly says, "that you are not bored living out here in the country."

The maidservant chooses that very moment to re-appear, bearing a tray of tea and scones.

"Oh!" Delly says, her eyes lighting up immediately. "The scones look absolutely delicious!"

"Thank you," Katniss says, preparing to pour the tea. "Peeta makes them."

At her first bite of a scone, Lady Delly's eyes close automatically. She licks her lips. "Mmm, so delicious," she mumbles.

"I shall pass on your compliments to Peeta," Katniss says, for the first time breaking into a wide smile. After allowing Lady Delly a few moments to enjoy her tea, Katniss inquires, "And how is Lord Cray?"

"Very well," says Lady Delly, for some reason appearing slightly less bubbly.

"And your daughters?" Katniss inquires.

"Both extremely well," Lady Delly says.

Katniss flushes, for the first time having an inkling that the reason behind Lady Delly's visit has nothing to do with exchanging polite pleasantries.

"I suppose you have some idea of why I am here," Lady Delly says.

"More scones?" Katniss says, straightening.

"It's about Peeta," Delly says.

"Of course," Katniss says, lifting her gaze and looking out the window. "It's always about Peeta."


	65. PEETA STOPS BY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Katniss, Lady Delly, and Peeta

"My love!" Peeta says, coming in at that moment.

"Peeta?" Katniss says. She feels like she's woken from a daze.

"And," Peeta says, turning to Lady Delly with his eyebrows raised, "Dearest Cousin, what a delightful surprise!"

"Peeta, I have been here at least the past half hour," Lady Delly says.

"I was in the greenhouse, forgive me." Peeta seats himself next to Katniss and takes her hand. "You know how I worry about those geraniums."

"You've become quite domesticated, I see," Lady Delly says.

Peeta laughs. "Yes, I am all about conserving, maintaining, remodeling, renovating, preserving. Bringing the fixtures and fittings up to date. The piping and plumbing are in a deplorable state."

"Well, Peeta, I see you have much to do," Lady Delly says. "I must be off, then."

"No, no, stay," Peeta says, shaking his head and laughing. "I only dropped by so as not to seem impolite."

"Hmm," Delly says.

"I trust my dear wife can keep you suitably entertained," Peeta says.

"Do stay, Peeta," Katniss says, suddenly.

Peeta looks at his wife and touches her cheek tenderly. "I shall see you soon. We shall have lunch in the conservatory. Then you can tell me all about Lady Delly's visit."

A look passes between the couple. "So much to do, my love," Peeta says. "Send the maid to fetch me if you need. I will come at once."

Lady Delly's face grows rather flushed.

Then Peeta turns to Lady Delly and kisses her on both cheeks. "Don't be a stranger, Delly. Bring your daughters next time."

Lady Delly taps Peeta lightly on the shoulder. "You look well, cousin. Do try and come to London more often."

Peeta smiles and leaves. After a moment, Katniss and Lady Delly resume their seats. Lady Delly clears her throat. "I must say . . .  I've never seen Peeta look so happy."

Katniss glances quickly up. "Why, thank you. That is nice of you to say . . . "

"You have done good things here, Lady Katniss," Delly says. "The change in Peeta -- it is really quite remarkable."

"Thank you," Katniss says again, her eyes softening.

"Well, I shall be leaving now," Lady Delly says, collecting her gloves.

"So soon?" Katniss says. "I thought you wished to tell me something concerning . . . "

"Your husband? Oh, it was nothing, really. Just some silly gossip I heard from -- you know, Lady Clove and her set."

From Katniss's dismayed expression, it is clear (at least to Lady Delly) that she has some inkling.

"But it is silly talk. Do not let it bother you, dear," Lady Delly says, coming up to Katniss and patting her hand sympathetically. "Your husband is very much in love with you. That is a rare thing, in this day and age."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has Katniss found herself a new ally in Lady Delly? What do you think?


	66. AFTER THE VISIT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Katniss, Peeta, William Daniel (their son), Lady Chiveley (from France), Lady Bristel (Lady Chiveley's friend), the butler, Lady Clove, Lady Glimmer, and Lord Cassius.

When the maidservant comes to inform Peeta that Lady Delilah has departed, Peeta heaves a sigh of relief. He knows he shouldn't have left Katniss alone to deal with her, but he has so long relished the idea of having a day to devote to his gardening, and furthermore he hates any reminder of the world he has left behind in London. He does not expect Lady Delly to stay long, for she has little to nothing in common with Katniss. As soon as Peeta receives news of Lady Delly's departure, he hurries to the drawing room to see if Katniss is still there. But the drawing room is empty. Then Peeta hurries to the conservatory, where Katniss and he usually take lunch, but that too is empty. Finally, he goes up to the nursery, and there he finds his wife, holding their son close and reading to him from a children's book. Peeta watches them quietly for a few moments. When Katniss pauses to turn the page, he makes his presence known.

"My dear," he says, walking towards his wife and son, "forgive me. Was the visit horribly tedious?"

Katniss looks up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "No, it was fine," she says.

That is how Peeta knows something has gone terribly wrong. "William," he says, looking around uneasily for the child's governess. "Where is your nanny?"

"Mummy sent her to the kitchen to fetch her a cup of tea," the little boy responds.

"Ah! Well then, let me sit here with you for a while, until she returns. Then your mum and I must be off," Peeta says.

"Mummy," William says, suddenly turning to Katniss and patting her on the cheek. "Don't be sad. Daddy is here now."

 _Good God!_ Peeta thinks. _What has that silly cousin of mine been saying?_

"Were you not going to spend the afternoon gardening?" Katniss inquires.

"No," Peeta says. "I wish to spend the afternoon with you, my dear wife. Perhaps in the library? I could read to you from one of your favorite books."

"Do not be absurd, Peeta," Katniss says. "Why would you waste a perfectly fine afternoon with me in the library?"

"There is nothing absurd about a man wanting to spend time with his wife," Peeta says quietly. Inside him, he thinks that if Lady Delly were before him at that very moment, he could quite easily tear her limb from limb.

As soon as his son's nanny re-appears, Peeta takes Katniss by the hand and leads her to the library. There, Katniss makes a great show of not being able to decide which book she wants Peeta to read to her. Finally, Peeta draws her close, turns her face up to his and says, "Wife, what is troubling you?"

"Why, nothing," she says at once.

*     *     *     *

Lady Chiveley sits in her drawing room, chatting with Lady Bristel.

"Ah, do not flatter me!" Lady Chiveley was saying.

"Flatter you!" Lady Bristel retorted. "How could it be flattery to tell you that in a few short weeks you have become the toast of London?"

"Indeed I am not!" Lady Chiveley said. "There is nothing at all interesting about me."

"Only the fact that you are the most beautiful woman in London," Lady Bristel insists. "The Earl of Avesham and Sir Robert Chiltern have been vying for your attentions. And Sir Thomas Lawrence has offered to paint your portrait."

"That is indeed very flattering," Lady Chiveley says. "But there are far more beautiful ladies -- Lady Katniss, for instance."

"Lady Katniss! Hum," Lady Bristel says. "There is no comparison. And besides, she is not really a member of London society."

"And why not?" Lady Chiveley inquires. "Is she not married to Lord Peeta, Earl of Mellak?"

"Yes, but she is too dull. She and Earl Peeta spend most of their time now in the country."

The butler suddenly enters and announces "Lady Clove. Lady Glimmer."

Lady Chiveley and Lady Bristel exchange surprised looks before the other two ladies appear.

"Oh, how delightful to see you, Lady Clove, Lady Glimmer," Lady Bristel says, giving the two newly arrived ladies a thin-lipped smile.

"My dear, we did not expect to see you today," Lady Bristel says to Lady Clove. "Is not your husband at home?"

"Yes, but it is utterly boring. He is talking politics again," Lady Clove replied.

"You are bored by politics?" Lady Chiveley asks Lady Clove, her lips turning up a little.

"But of course!" Lady Clove says. "It is so hopelessly, undenduringly boring."

"I find politics perfectly fascinating," Lady Chiveley remarks.

"No doubt you also read the newspapers," Lady Clove says, almost sneering.

"I do, yes. I must keep up with my husband, after all," Lady Chiveley responds.

"Ah! Your husband being France's Foreign Minister, after all," Lady Bristel says.

"Yes, and not only that, I used to hold political discussions with an Englishman I was once very close to," Lady Chiveley remarks.

"And was that -- " Lady Glimmer begins, before Lady Clove gives her a sharp rap on the knuckles with her ivory fan.

"Yes," Lady Chiveley says. "Lord Peeta, Earl of Mellark."

"Ah!" Lady Clove says, a disagreeable look on her face. "No doubt he has no more time for those kinds of discussions."

"Perhaps," Lady Chiveley says, with a secretive smile.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Lady Clove says, affronted.

"Only that in France we believe a man must have diversions -- interests, if you will -- outside the home," Lady Chiveley says.

"And such diversions? Are they confined to politics?" Lady Clove asks, her eyes looking daggers at Lady Chiveley.

"No, not necessarily," Lady Chiveley says.

Suddenly, the butler appears again and announces, "Lord Cassius!"

As soon as Lord Cassius enters the room, he sees his wife and turns beet red.

"Well, sir!" Lady Clove says haughtily. "This is a surprise!"

"I am here to consult with Lord Balmoral on a matter of -- " Lord Cassius begins.

"Politics?" Lady Clove says.

 

 

  
 

 


	67. KATNISS'S NIGHTMARE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Katniss dreams of falling.
> 
> In this episode: Katniss, Peeta, General Abernethy, and Lady Chiveley

Katniss is lying in Peeta's arms. They're in their bed, having just shared a bath in the large porcelain tub that sits on sturdy copper legs in the bathroom.

Katniss had been soaking there when Peeta came in. She watched him close the door to the bathroom, very carefully, and knew from the tension in his shoulders and the intentness on his face what he was going to do. He'd quickly stripped off his clothes, sweat-stained still from the garden, then slipped into the tub with her. Some water sloshed out, and she protested, weakly. Ignoring her, he surged forward. Even more water sloshed out. "Careful," she said, indicating her belly.

"I won't hurt either of you," he said, lowly. And then she gasped, and it was very quickly over. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he moved and moved inside her. She kissed his sun-kissed shoulders, watched as they tensed and flexed. She dug her fingers into his back, watching intently at the red marks she formed there. Then, after, he went out of the tub first, dried himself off, then walked to the bed naked and turned down the bedding. She often wondered, as he passed the bedroom windows on his way to the bed, whether any scandalized servants were standing outside, watching. But it was a dark, moonless night, and there was only one lighted candelabra in the room, throwing strange shadows on the walls and ceiling.

He came back to the tub to fetch her, holding up a large towel to wrap her in. He made her sit on him while he took another towel and carefully dried her hair, her shoulders. And then he carried her to the bed. Katniss fell asleep very quickly after.

She dreamt she was late for something. There was such an urgency in her chest. She was swimiming, but through air instead of water. She looked down and she saw the light stone of their house. She saw the stairs and the fountains Peeta had built in the garden. She saw the glass walls of the conservatory and the stone angels that lined the cornices of the roof. She looked in the windows to the nursery and saw her son lying peacefully in his bed, his toys arranged neatly on a low table. And then she saw a shadow whose identity she couldn't quite make out. It was too slender a shadow to be her husband. She was seized with anxiety, and flew to intercept this shadow. But the shadow was too quick. It leaped on Katniss's back, and she felt herself plummeting to the ground.

A few days later, Peeta was alone in London, at a dinner given by the Prince of Wales. He and Katniss were to have gone together, but that morning she had been feeling poorly. Since she was in her fourth month, Peeta did not feel he should compel her. He promised to return immediately.

He was milling about with a few acquaintances, waiting rather impatiently for the call to dinner, when he was approached by Lord Plutarch's uncle, General Abernathy.

"Lord Peeta!" the General said. "I declare! What brings you out of the country?"

Peeta quirked an ironic eyebrow. "Why, this dinner, of course. One does not turn down an invitation from the Prince of Wales."

"And what of your lovely wife?" the General inquired.

"She is at home. She would have been here, if not for -- "

"Good evening, General Abernathy!" said a silken feminine voice, quite close to where the General and Peeta were standing.

Peeta turned, and froze. The woman before him was vaguely familiar. She arched two pretty eyebrows. "Peeta, are you indeed here?"

Peeta seemed to have quite lost his voice. The woman extended a hand. Peeta took it automatically.

Lady Chiveley sighed dramatically. "A pity. It appears you do not remember me."

General Abernathy bestirred himself. "Nonsense! Of course Lord Peeta remembers you! Peeta, the wife of the Foreign Minister?"

Peeta roused himself. "Lord Balmoral's wife, of course!"

"Oh dear," Lady Chiveley said, "so you do not remember. We have met before. In France."

Peeta became uncomfortably aware of General Abernathy's penetrating stare.

"I am afraid I do not -- " he began.

"Well, let me refresh your memory," Lady Chiveley went on. "I was at a dinner in a friend's house in rue Caron. A very boring dinner, where the men were all dowdies. And then you walked in . . . "

"Oh!" Peeta said. "I think I do remember now . . . "

Lady Chiveley's face brightened considerably. "I am so glad. I was beginning to worry I had perhaps aged beyond recognition."

"Indeed not," Peeta protested. A gong rang somewhere.

"There is the dinner summons!" General Abernathy said. "About time, I am positively famished!"

"You may have the honor of taking me down to supper, Lord Peeta" Lady Chiveley said, quickly threading her arm through Peeta's. "And then you will sit beside me and talk to me the whole evening!"

Peeta nodded stiffly. He could not bring himself to say anything like "with pleasure." He and Lady Chiveley walked to the dining room arm in arm.

 

 


	68. AT DINNER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Lady Chiveley and Peeta

They were halfway through the soup course when Peeta looked directly at Lady Chiveley and said, "I don't think I enjoy being watched when I am eating."

Lady Chiveley smiled playfully. "I don't think you would enjoy it either if I watched someone else. I remember how jealous you used to get whenever I did that."

Peeta pretended he had not heard. "How long do you intend to be in London, Lady Chiveley?" he said.

"Are you hurrying me off?" Lady Chiveley laughed. "I thought you would at least pretend to make polite conversation with me."

"Seriously?" Peeta said.

"Quite seriously," Lady Chiveley said. "Let us talk about politics. Or about the King's latest financial schemes. Or about mining. Or about anything you like."

Peeta put down his spoon. "You are being tedious," he said.

"Are you annoyed? Well, then, I shall persist. How different you are now! You used to be interested in anything I said."

"You are married," Peeta said. "I am married." He put particular emphasis on the last word.

"Yes. But we are just two old friends, having a splendid time together at a supper hosted by the Prince of Wales. I do not expect you to rip my clothes off. Though I quite enjoyed watching you try not to, in Paris."

Peeta turned his face away in disgust. When she saw he intended to keep silent, she said, "Let us talk about the Stock Exchange."

Peeta still refused to speak.

"You are too clever to make a scene. I do know that," Lady Chiveley said.

Peeta frowned.

"Do you think of _her_ at all?" Lady Chiveley asked.

"No," Peeta said. He half-rose.

Lady Chiveley shook her head and pressed her fan against his forearm. "I am not in the mood for your little displays of pique, Lord Peeta. I am here to talk business."

Peeta raised his eyes to Lady Chiveley's face and studied her. "I fear I have no advice to give you, Lady Chiveley, except to interest yourself in something less dangerous."

"What is your opinion on the latest report of the Commissioners?" Lady Chiveley queried.

Peeta looked at her, amazed. "My opinion on the latest report of the Commissioners? What do you mean?"

"Lord Peeta, I will be frank," Lady Chiveley said. "The English Commissioners are prejudiced. Or misinformed. Or something. A few words in the ear of the Prince would be very beneficial to our -- mutual interests. You know the sorts of things I am referring to. Will you do that for me?"

"Lady Chiveley," Peeta said, "you cannot be serious in making such a proposition!"

"I am quite serious," Lady Chiveley said.

"Pray allow me to believe that you are not," Peeta said, coldly.

Lady Chiveley bent her head closer to Peeta and said, with great deliberation, "Ah! But I am. And if you do what I ask of you," she pressed her lips very lightly to his cheek, "I shall reward you. Handsomely."

"Reward me!" Peeta said, in disbelief.

"Yes," Lady Chiveley said.

Peeta lowered his head. "I am afraid I don't quite understand you."

Lady Chiveley leaned back and studied him. "You disappoint me," she said. "And I came all the way to London with such high hopes."

Lady Chively continued nonchalantly, "My dear Lord Peeta, you are a man of the world, and you have your price, I suppose. Everybody has. The drawback is that most people are so dreadfully expensive. I know I am. I hope you will see reason, Peeta."  
  
Peeta rose indignantly. "If you will excuse me, I must call my carriage. You have lived too long in France, Lady Chively, if you are unable to realise that you are talking to an English gentleman."  
  
Lady Chiveley grasped Peeta by the arm and held him in place. "I realise that you are a married man, that you have a reputation you wish to uphold."  
  
Peeta bit his lip.  
  
"I have your letters, Peeta. The letters you wrote me -- ah, I see you remember."  
  
Peeta had turned very pale.  
  
"You thought I destroyed them. How foolish of you!"  
  
Peeta said, "This is a swindle. Let us call things by their proper names. It makes everything simpler."  
  
Lady Chiveley said, "Yes. I could sell you the letters. We can help each other."  
  
Peeta said, "No."  
  
Lady Chiveley said, "Oh, Peeta. This is the game of life, and we all have to play it. Surely you expected something like this to happen, sooner or later."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? Is Lady Chiveley a spy? Is she going to succeed in blackmailing Peeta?


	69. THE SQUEEZE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Lady Chiveley and Peeta

"I cannot do what you ask," Peeta said.

"You mean you will not," Lady Chiveley said, looking sad. "Careful, Peeta. You know you are standing on the edge of a precipice. And it is not for you to make terms. It is for you to accept them. If you refuse -- "

"What then?" Peeta said.

"What then?" Lady Chiveley said. "My dear Peeta, you are ruined! And you will have only yourself to blame. You should never have pretended to be better than your peers. How excessively pride-ful you have been. What is this new mania of yours for morality? I never knew you to be such a hypocrite. Purity, incorruptibility, all the seven deadly virtues -- they go over like ninepins, one after the other. This precious England of yours is a mess. Scandals used to lend charm, or at least interest, to a man. Now, they crush him. And your scandal is a particularly nasty one. If your wife knew what you -- "

"What you ask is impossible."

Lady Chiveley said, "You must make it possible. You are going to make it possible. Peeta, may I remind you what English newspapers are like. Not only that, think of London society, think of what your enemies would make of this scandal! Think of the joy, the delight, they would take in dragging you -- and not only you -- down. Think of the mud and mire you would plunge your family in."

"Stop!" Peeta gritted out. He glanced around uneasily. The dining room seemed unnaturally quiet.

Lady Chiveley ordered, "Sit down."

Peeta sat.

"Those are my terms," Lady Chiveley said.

"Is it money you want? I will give you any sum. State your price," Peeta said.

"Even you are not rich enough to know my price," Lady Chiveley said. "To buy back your life. No man is."

"I will not do as you demand," Peeta said. "I will not."

"You have to," Lady Chiveley said. "If you do not . . . " Now it was her turn to rise from the table.

"Wait!" Peeta said. He took a deep breath. "If -- if I do as you propose, you will give me back my letters?"

"Yes. I will be at your Club tomorrow night at half-past nine. I shall hand you back your letters with my prettiest thanks. And, perhaps, more. One should always play fairly, especially when one has the winning cards. My husband taught me that, among other things." Lady Chiveley looked down at Peeta, whose head was bent, as if he was already her captive.

Peeta was silent for a few moments. Then he said, "I need time to consider your proposal."

"No," Lady Chiveley said. "Out of the question. You must settle now."

"Give me a week. Or -- three days."

Lady Chiveley said, "Impossible!"

"My God!" Peeta burst out. "What brought you back into my life?"

"Circumstances," Lady Chiveley said, patting Peeta's hand.

Slowly, painfully, Peeta nodded.

"Thank you," Lady Chiveley said. "I knew we would come to an amicable arrangement."


	70. THE DINNER GUESTS DEPART

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: General Abernathy, Lady Chiveley, and Peeta

"Well, Peeta," General Abernathy said, as they were waiting for their carriages outside. "I hope you have enjoyed yourself. Lady Chiveley is very entertaining, is she not?"

Peeta threw him a guarded glance. "She is indeed," he said.

"She seemed to enjoy talking to you immensely," General Abernathy continued.

"I knew her a while ago," Peeta said. "A pity Lord Balmoral could not be here."

"Well, he is an old man," General Abernathy said. "He does not much enjoy socializing. But Lady Chiveley, now, she has a very admirable zest for dinner parties. I must say, dinner parties have never been so interesting since she presented in London. Are you returning to the country tomorrow?"

"I am," Peeta said.

"I thought I heard her say something about meeting you tomorrow at the Club. She seems to be quite taken with you."

"I am returning home tomorrow," Peeta said.

"Ah! I am a jaded man, I have often observed that the attentions of an attractive woman sometimes produces a kind of softening of the brain. However, I do know you have a felicitous marriage, and that your wife is a most admirable woman. To subject someone like you to that sort of flirtation is, I dare say, one of the most unbecoming things I have seen of late. It only makes her French nose so particularly large. I only wonder at what kind of domestic life Lord Balmoral enjoys. It must be difficult. My Dear Departed Father used to say one must never marry a woman with a large nose; he simply could not abide them. Well, here is my carriage. Good night, Lord Peeta!"

And then he departed.

"What a charming man," Lady Chiveley said, suddenly materializing at Peeta's side. She threaded her arm through his again. "I have had such a delightful evening. It has been so interesting getting re-acquainted with you, Peeta."

Peeta's response was to stiffly withdraw his arm.

"Is General Abernathy a particular friend of yours?" Lady Chiveley asked.

"He is," Peeta said.


	71. LADY CHIVELEY PAYS A SOCIAL CALL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Katniss, Lady Chiveley and Lady Laurentia

"Why did you wish to see my husband, Lady Chiveley?" Katniss asked.

She and Lady Laurentia had decided to join Lord Peeta in London. They caught him just in the nick of time; he had already had the carriage brought round to the front of Lord Plutarch's townhouse and was just preparing to enter it. Needless to say, Peeta had been overjoyed to see them. Katniss and Lady Laurentia then informed Peeta that they were staying with him a further three nights in the City. They would all return to the country together, at the end of the week.

Great was everyone's surprise when, the day after Katniss and Lady Prim arrived, Lady Chiveley paid a visit.

"I wished to solicit Lord Peeta's advise on an Argentine Canal Scheme my husband is intent on investing in," Lady Chiveley simpered. "I daresay you have not heard of it, being out in the country most of the time. I was referred to Lord Peeta by a mutual friend, who spoke highly of his financial acumen. She had heard him speaking on the subject at the Club. In fact, my husband would like to invite him to dinner, to discourse further on this subject. It would be a wonderful opportunity."

"There must be some mistake," Katniss said. "Investment schemes do not interest my husband."

"Oh, on the contrary. Lord Peeta and I had a long discussion on the subject, but two nights ago, at the Prince of Wales's dinner. How intelligent he is! We agreed to discuss the matter further today."

Katniss raised an eyebrow. "Truly? He has not mentioned your appointment to me."

Lady Chiveley's eyes flashed. "Why do we not ask him? He cannot have forgotten!"

"My husband is a very busy man, Lady Chiveley," Katniss replied. "Unfortunately, things do occasionally slip his mind."

At that moment, the butler entered the drawing room. "Your carriage is ready, Lady Chiveley!"

Lady Chiveley opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, then decided to shut it. She grasped her fan and bowed stiffly to Katniss.

"What a pity you must end your visit so soon!" Katniss said. "Forgive me for not seeing you out. I am preparing to visit the milliner's with my mother-in-law."

Lady Chiveley walked out. Katniss's eyes narrowed as she watched the woman's retreating back.

"Is she gone?" Lady Laurentia said.

Katniss whirled. She had not heard her mother-in-law enter the drawing room.

"What a horrid woman," Lady Laurentia said, without waiting for Katniss's response.

"Shall we head to the milliner's?" Katniss said.

"Yes, let's!" her mother-in-law said, smiling and threading her arm through Katniss's.


	72. GENERAL ABERNATHY AND PEETA CONVERSE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: General Abernathy, Peeta, Katniss, and Lady Laurentia

"Peeta!" General Abernathy said, clapping Peeta on the back. Peeta had just arrived at the Club. "What are you doing here? Wasting your life as usual? Why aren't you at home with your lovely wife?" The General chuckled at his own joke.

"General, it is only four. I shall have dinner with my wife at seven."

"Can't make out why are you in London when you have a perfectly good country house."

"You must come and visit Katniss and I," Peeta said, smiling warmly.

General Abernathy chuckled. "I may just take you up on that offer." After a pause, he said, "You know Lady Chiveley was here the other night, looking for you."

"Was she?" Peeta said indifferently. "It must have slipped my mind."

"Well, she ended up talking to me instead."

"Oh?" Peeta said. "I presume you had an interesting conversation."

"Yes, and it was all about you. You, apparently, are the most fascinating person in London."

"Indeed not!" Peeta protested. "No doubt she was simply making polite conversation. Since she knows we are friends."

"Possibly," General Abernathy said. "She also asked about International Canal schemes."

"Ah!" Peeta said, frowning. She did mention that at the Prince's of Wales the other night.

"Tedious subject," General Abernathy said. "You and she knew each other in France, you said? She seemed to know you quite well."

Peeta bit his lip. "That was a long time ago . . . " he began.

"True. And I assure you, no one in London wants to hear about your affairs."

Peeta said, hoarsely, "I -- "

"After we had exhausted all conversation, she moved on to Lord Cassius."

Peeta gave a sardonic smile. "Lord Cassius! Now there is a man who, if she is not careful, would be capable of swallowing her whole, like Jonah's whale."

"Well! It is good your wife is here, Lord Peeta," General Abernathy said. "And how is the charming Lady Katniss?"

"Very well," Peeta says. "Tonight we are stopping in at the Hartlocks'. I believe they have got a Hungarian band that plays polkas."

"Splendid!" General Abernathy said. With that, he continued puffing placidly on his pipe.

*     *     *     *

Peeta returned home to find Katniss preparing for the evening at the Hartlocks'.

She told him: "Peeta, you had a visitor today. A Lady Chiveley? She said you had made an appointment to discuss -- investment schemes. She seemed to know you quite well. Were you at school together?"

Peeta took a deep breath. "No," he said. "I knew her in France. You remember, I told you, after Anne's -- "

"Yes," Katniss said. "I see."

Peeta went quickly up to his wife and took her hands. "Five years ago," he said.

At that moment, Lady Laurentia entered the room, saying "Katniss, I -- " She stopped abruptly when she saw Peeta sitting on the couch, holding his wife's hand. At that she said, "Excuse me! I did not mean to interrupt."

"You are not interrupting anything," Katniss said. "What is it you wished to ask me?"

"I was wondering whether you would like to borrow this. For tonight," Lady Laurentia said. It was only then Katniss noticed what Lady Laurentia held in her hands: a gown of sumptuous red silk, trimmed with black lace ribbons at the sleeves.

 


	73. ALL TOGETHER NOW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Customary cattiness.
> 
> In this episode: Lady Clove, Lady Glimmer, Lord Cassius, Lady Jacqueline Chiveley, Lord Augustus Cray, Lady Delilah, Peeta and Katniss

"I have had enough of being a martyr!" Lady Clove was saying to Lady Glimmer. "How tedious this gathering is!"

"My dear, life is too short, as we all know after dear Anne's demise," Lady Glimmer assented.

"Then what are we standing around for? Where is that damn Hungarian band? It is simply too tiresome to stand about making chit-chat! To the same people!" Lady Clove groused.

"Wasn't Lord Cato supposed to be here?" Lady Glimmer inquired.

Before Lady Clove could answer, a young man entered the ballroom. He was tall and fierce. Hadn't Lady Clove met him before?

Suddenly, there was a faint stir by the entrance. The footman appeared and announced: Lord and Lady Mellark!

All heads turned.

"Oh!" Lady Clove uttered.

The Earl and his wife were a perfect vision of loveliness: Peeta blonde and strong-jawed and with those broad shoulders and that erect carriage. Katniss, by his side, set off Peeta's blonde good looks to perfection with her own dark, stunning hair and silver eyes. She was dressed in a red silk gown, the neckline dipping daringly low to expose the tops of her breasts, the voluminous sleeves of her gown trimmed with black velvet ribbons. Dangling from her ears were a pair of stupendous chandelier-shaped earrings studded with diamonds and rubies.

"I do declare!" gasped Lady Glimmer.

"My dear!" Lord Cassius had glided up to stand next to his wife. "Close your mouth. It is most unbecoming to be gawking in that manner."

"What?" Lady Clove spluttered in outrage. "How dare you!"

But Lord Cassius merely smiled and moved on, his object making itself clear in a matter of seconds: the French woman, Lady Chiveley. At Lord Cassius's approach, Lady Chiveley began fluttering her fan and simpering.

"Ugh!" Lady Clove said, watching the little tableaux. Forgetting the Mellarks for a moment, Lady Clove moved marginally closer to Lord Cassius and Lady Chiveley, and caught whiffs of her husband's conversation: " _Chere_ Madame! I have not seen you in four days!" "Oh, how I love London society!" "How devastatingly beautiful you are this evening!"

Lady Clove's lips set into a thin, querulous line. "French vixen!" she hissed. Lady Glimmer threw her friend a side-long glance and was shocked to see how pale she was. Before Lady Glimmer could remark on it, however, she realized that the Mellarks had advanced to the head of the receiving line and were much closer. Lady Glimmer ran her eyes over Katniss's gown with a speculative look. It was then she noticed a somewhat tell-tale thickness about Lady Katniss's midriff.

"Good evening, Lord Peeta!" Lady Glimmer sang out, sinking into a curtsy. "What a surprise! You are so rarely in London."

Hearing her friend's greeting, Lady Clove turned and saw Peeta and Katniss. Her lips curled into a malevolent smile. "Ah!" she said to Peeta, "I had heard you were staying on; it is probably because of our friend from France! I heard how raptly the two of you conversed during the Prince's dinner! The woman you seek is right over there!" Lady Clove gestured in the general direction of her husband and Lady Chiveley.

Katniss raised her head and looked over to where Lady Clove had indicated. Lady Chiveley was indeed there, and she was looking at Katniss with a glare of pure, cold hatred. Beside her, Lord Cassius stood, staring at Katniss as if he were staring at an apparition. He blinked once, twice, three times then moved forward. He stopped only when he was directly in front of Katniss. Taking her hand, he bowed deeply and kissed it. Katniss flushed to the roots of her hair.

"My lady," Lord Cassius said, in a husky voice, "Every day you grow more and more lovely. I cannot imagine why your husband would ever let you out of his sight, not even for one moment!"

In the meantime, Lady Chiveley herself had come up towards the little group. She looked quite incensed to have been abandoned by Lord Cassius, but her voice dripped sweetness. "Ah!" she said. "Peeta! What a prize to see you here! I did not think you fancied such entertainments as Hungarian dances!"

At this moment, the footman appeared again and announced: Lord Augustus Cray and Lady Delilah of Marchmont!

As soon as Lady Delly caught sight of Katniss and Peeta, she pulled her husband in their direction.

"Katniss! How lovely you look!" Lady Delly exclaimed, squeezing Katniss's hands between her two plump ones and kissing her on the cheek. Then Lady Delly turned to Peeta. "And Peeta! You have come out of hibernation at last! It is so good to see you!"


	74. CONVERSATIONS AT ODDS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Peeta, Katniss, Lady Delly, Lady Clove, Lady Glimmer, Lady Chiveley, Lord Cassius, and Lord Balmoral

"How well that dress becomes you, Katniss," Lady Delly continued to gush. "You are a veritable vision of loveliness."

It was not lost on Lady Delly that both Lady Clove and Lady Chiveley pouted at her words.

"I am nothing of the sort," Katniss responded.

Lord Cassius intervened: "Lady Delly speaks the truth! You are a most beguiling vision, Lady Katniss."

"Husband," broke in Lady Clove. "What about myself? Am I not also as lovely as -- as -- she?"

Lord Cassius put his head to one side and surveyed Lady Clove's form. He stayed silent.

"Your gown is quite brilliant," Lady Glimmer assured Lady Clove.

At which point Peeta, murmuring something about not monopolizing Lady Clove's attention, began to draw himself and Katniss away.

"I daresay!" Lady Clove tittered, rapping Peeta's chest with her fan. "You shall not escape from us so easily, Lord Peeta!"

"I shall accompany you!" Lady Chiveley announced.

"Jacqueline?" Lord Cassius said. "Stay! Allow Lord Peeta and his wife a little consideration. A threesome is never wise."

"Jacqueline may remain to entertain you, husband," Lady Clove broke in. "I shall accompany Lord Peeta." (What a prize! Lady Glimmer muttered softly)

"Wife, do not exhibit such impetuousness," said Lord Cassius. "It is very obtuse of you not to remember what I said just moments ago: a threesome is never wise."

Peeta and Katniss therefore were able to maneuver themselves away from the group.

"Oh!" said Katniss, when they were out of earshot, "To converse with that set makes my cheeks flame!"

Peeta looked intently down at his wife. "It is a game, my dear," he said, softly. "No one cares a fig unless you can dig up some intrigue."

"But Lady Clove, what Delly said she said . . . about you . . . it is difficult for me to maintain my composure in her presence."

Peeta was just beginning to realize that the evening of Hungarian music was perhaps not a good idea. Just then, the footman appeared to make another announcement: Lord Balmoral! All talk in the room immediately ceased. Lady Chiveley approached her husband and said, reproachfully: "You are very late!"

"Did you miss me, Jacqueline?" Lord Balmoral said.

Lady Chiveley's eyes narrowed. "Of course I did," she said.

"How terrible!" Lord Balmoral said. Lady Chiveley drew herself up. She hissed, "What are you doing here? I thought you said you had an appointment at the Club."

"I was at the Club, but it is rather gloomy this evening. I never thought I was the type to need gaiety, but when the socializing impulse takes hold of me, I tend to pursue it." Lord Balmoral lifted his head and scanned the assembled company. "Which is Lord Peeta?"

"Why do you wish to know?" Lady Chiveley asked.

"Ah! I have my reasons, which I will share with you in good time," Lord Balmoral responded. "We have not yet been formally introduced. Would you do me the honors, Jacqueline?"

"Of course!" Lady Chiveley said.

She led her husband to the group. "Lord Peeta, allow me to introduce my husband, Lord Balmoral."

"I am very pleased to make your acquaintance at last, Lord Peeta!" Lord Balmoral said.

"The pleasure is mutual, Lord Balmoral," Peeta said.

"Is this your wife?" Lord Balmoral asked, turning to Katniss.

"Yes, Lord Balmoral. Allow me to introduce my wife, Lady Katniss."

Lord Balmoral bowed deeply. "What a charming, delightful creature!" he remarked. Lady Chiveley was so incensed that she dropped her fan.


	75. FURTHER CONVERSATIONS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Lord Balmoral, Katniss, Peeta, Lady Chiveley, Lady Delly, Lord Cray and Lady Clove

"How do you manage it, my dear?" Lord Balmoral said, hanging onto Katniss's hand. "You glow like a perfectly ripe peach!"

Peeta coughed discreetly. "I am indeed a most fortunate man," he said, holding Katniss's free hand and raising both eyebrows at Lord Balmoral as if to say, _My wife is not comfortable with your attentions, sir._

"And your name," Lord Balmoral continued, as if Peeta had not spoken. "What does it mean? It is not Katherine, I have not mis-heard?"

"No, my Lord," Katniss said, "you have not mis-heard. My name is indeed Katniss."

"You are not English, I take it?" Lord Balmoral pressed.

"I am English, sir. I was born here and know no other country," Katniss replied.

"Truly?" Lord Balmoral said, surprised.

"Indeed, sir," Lady Delly then intervened, "Katniss is from Yorkshire. She grew up on Lord Plutarch of Heavensbee's estate."

"Oh, of course. Well," Lord Balmoral said, turning back to Peeta and finally releasing Katniss's hand. "Your wife is a most charming woman. Most charming!"

Peeta flushed. He seemed about to say something, decided against it, and then settled for bowing deeply.

"And now, wife," Lord Balmoral said, turning to Lady Chiveley, who was standing next to him with disapproval etched all over her features, "where is this damned Hungarian company?"

He allowed Lady Chiveley to lead him away, and Katniss heaved a sigh of relief.

"Shall we sit down?" Peeta asked Katniss.

"Yes, please," Katniss said.

"I shall come with you," Lady Delly said. She turned to her husband, who was glancing restlessly about. "And do find someone or something to occupy you, Cray. I shall be with Katniss and Peeta the rest of the evening."

Lord Cray seemed to startle at his wife's peremptory tone. "We must circulate -- " he protested.

"Well, then, _you_ circulate! I must talk to my cousin, who I have not seen in an age," Lady Delly said.

As soon as Lord Cray had moved off, Katniss, Peeta, and Lady Delly began to look for a side room where they could sit and talk quietly. It was slow progress, for every few steps they would be accosted by an acquaintance of Peeta's or Lady Delly's. Eventually, however, they happened upon a conservatory, along whose walls were a series of stone benches. Katniss sank down on one and sighed.

"My dear," Lady Delly said, putting a gentle hand on Katniss's shoulder. "Are you all right? You look a little -- pale."

"I am well, Lady Delly. It is just nerves."

"Nerves!" Lady Delly said. "My dear, you have the bearing of a Queen." Next, Delly turned to Peeta and asked, "Who was that peculiar lady with Lord Balmoral? Was that really his wife?"

"Yes," Peeta said.

"Ah!" Lady Delly said. "I wondered. She looked exceedingly silly."

Peeta smiled. "I agree," he said, "she looked most exceedingly silly." Then he looked at Katniss, and the look in his eyes was so fervent and so full of love, it was almost more than Katniss could bear.

At that moment, they heard the beginning of distant strains of music.

"That must be the Hungarians! Finally!" Lady Delly said. "We must repair at once to the salon."

"Delly, you and Peeta must go. I shall rest here a bit," Katniss said.

"We shall proceed home at once," Peeta said firmly. "I shall call for the carriage."

There was a loud gasp. Katniss, Peeta and Lady Delly looked up, and there was Lady Clove, standing at the entrance to the conservatory and fanning herself furiously. She advanced and said, in a voice dripping sweetness, "Ah, there you all are! I don't blame you for hiding out here. It is so stuffy in the rooms!"

Peeta cast a quick glance at Katniss. Her hand crept automatically to his arm and stayed there.

 

 

 


	76. A SCENE OF MAYHEM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Katniss, Peeta, Lady Clove, Lady Delly and Lady Glimmer

"Lady Clove, what are you doing here?" Peeta ground out.

The lady being addressed bore down relentlessly, as if she had not heard him. "I am extremely. Extremely. Bored. And my husband is off making eyes at Lady Chiveley. So I thought I would make eyes at someone else."

"You must go forthwith and rescue your husband from Lady Chiveley. She is not good for him," Peeta countered.

"Ugh. Lady Chiveley! Why should I rescue him? Let him have his little affairs!"

"You are a black-hearted trollop!" Lady Delly exclaimed.

"Oh!" Lady Clove said, glancing disdainfully at Lady Delly. "Did you just say something, Lady Delly? And where is YOUR husband, if I may ask? Do you even know?"

Lady Delly stood, but Peeta was too quick for her. He got to his feet and placed himself between Lady Delly and Lady Clove and said, in a firm voice, "Leave."

"Don't be absurd, Peeta!" Lady Clove tittered. "We are at a social engagement! I never leave a social engagement unless it is my express wish to do so!"

"Then go busy yourself elsewhere," Peeta said.

"But how could I leave you? After all, you are the sole reason I came!"

Suddenly, Lady Clove felt a hard slap on her right cheek. She gasped and looked up, face reddening. Katniss was now before her, those silver eyes blazing with a molten fury.

"Ah!" Lady Clove said, covering her cheek. "Of course. I should have known it would be you. After all, you were not brought up to have any manners."

"Peeta is my husband, and you shall not have him!" Katniss cried.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, my dear! You are the intruder, not I!"

"We are leaving," Peeta said, and put his arm protectively around Katniss's shoulders.

"Tsk, tsk, Peeta," Lady Clove said, watching as Peeta and Katniss and Delly passed in front of her. "What unnatural union have you made?"

Peeta turned and faced Lady Clove. "You cannot bear to see me happy, is that it? You think I abandoned your friend, caused her to sink into dissolution and then to sicken and die. You blame all on me."

"Do not be so tedious, Peeta!" Lady Clove exclaimed. "I do not blame you for Anne! But -- this! Marrying her was the most foolish thing you have ever done!"

Peeta's blue eyes blazed with fury. "You shall apologize to my wife, Lady Clove. I demand an apology, this minute."

"What?" Lady Clove said, shocked. "Me, apologize? To your wife? Make me!" With that, she moved close to Peeta.

"That's enough!" Lady Delly shrieked, stamping her foot. She tugged so hard at Lady Clove's arm that Lady Clove stumbled and almost fell flat on her bottom.

A servant came running up. "Madame!" said the servant, running up to Lady Clove. The lady in question was panting hard. Small streaks of blood were just beginning to seep through her white gloves, where Lady Delly had scratched her. "Do you require assistance?"

Hard on the servant's heels was Lady Glimmer, who could never be parted for long from Lady Clove without feeling anxious. When she saw Lady Clove standing there with bloodied gloves, Lady Glimmer put a hand to her forehead and fainted (prettily, with her limbs arranged just so). The servant was thus diverted, whereupon Lady Clove stamped _her_ foot and said, "Fool! Do you not see I am the one who is bleeding?" The harassed servant then diverted his attentions to Lady Clove, and Peeta, Katniss and Lady Delly took advantage of the chaos to slip quietly out of the parlor and out the front entrance.

Lady Delly's carriage arrived first. She began pulling off her gloves and said, regretfully, "Ruined a perfectly fine pair, I've only used them twice." She turned to Katniss, gave her a warm embrace, and then did likewise to Peeta. "You take care of her, Peeta," she whispered to him, before getting into her carriage. She could be heard giving her footman instructions to return for Lord Cray, after she had been delivered home.

"Peeta," Katniss said, when they were safely ensconced in their carriage, "must we keep going to these?"

For an answer, Peeta placed a large, warm hand over Katniss's belly and kissed it tenderly. She sighed and fondled his hair.

"Your hair is rather long, now," she murmured.

"Is it?" Peeta whispered.

"Yes," Katniss said. "Especially -- " she tugged gently at the hair over his ears.

Peeta straightened and looked at her. In his eyes was the same fervent look Katniss had seen minutes earlier, before the scene. "You do not like my hair long? I shall cut it myself, as soon as we are home."

"Why must we keep going to these?" Katniss said again. "I know your mother says we must. But -- why? No one likes me."

"On the contrary," Peeta said. "I think there may be more than a few who like you, perhaps a little too much."

"Oh," Katniss said, making a little impatient gesture with her right hand. "Men speak such rubbish. I know that."

Peeta placed a hand over his heart and assumed an attitude of mock dismay. "Does that include myself?"

"Yes," Katniss said, nodding solemnly.

It was her grave expression that quite unmanned him. His arms wrapped around her tightly and he pressed a kiss on her lips. She kissed him back, not chastely as a wife would, but as a lover should -- fervently, meeting him stroke for stroke. Peeta's hand was still resting her belly. She wished she could be enclosed in his warmth forever.

When they finally broke apart, they realized with a start that they were quite close to their destination.

"Peeta," Katniss said, the anxiety returning to her voice, "what are we to do -- _about her_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this too dramatic?


	77. LADY CLOVE AND LORD CASSIUS/ KATNISS AND PEETA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Lady Clove, Lord Cassius, Katniss and Peeta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a few more lines to the dialogue at the end.

Lady Clove sat at her dressing table, allowing her maid to dab at her wounds with some tincture of iodine. The maid was gentle, but every now and then Lady Clove hissed at the sharp sting of the antiseptic. Lord Cassius sat watching from across the room. His face was a study in anger.

"You foolish, foolish woman," Lord Cassius said, menacingly.

Lady Clove said nothing.

"I should divorce you," Lord Cassius said.

Still Lady Clove said nothing. "It would serve you right," Lord Cassius said. "I think an apology to the Lady Katniss would be advisable."

At this, Lady Clove raised her head and fastened two dead-looking eyes at her husband.

"I had my lawyer draw this up," Lord Cassius holds a letter up. "All you need to do is sign and I shall have it delivered to her."

Lady Clove shakes her head. "Never. I shall never apologize."

"You don't realize," Lord Cassius says, "the trouble you're in. Do you? My lawyer has asked me not to make any decisions regarding a separation or divorce until a reasonable enough time has elapsed. He is a sober man, prudent. I shall listen to his advice. But mark it, he is the only reason I have not yet turned you out of the house."

"You would really do that? Throw me out of the house? Where would I live?"

"Both your parents are still living. You would move back in with them. Either that, or a nunnery."

"A nunnery! You cannot be serious!" Lady Clove gasped.

"Oh, I am very serious," Lord Cassius said.

Lady Clove finally began to cry. The tears fell freely down her cheeks.

"I don't know what to do," she gasped.

"Behave like a lady, that is what you must do," Lord Cassius said. "Was that too much to ask?"

"Husband -- " Clove began to plead.

Lord Cassius walked up to his wife and looked down at her coldly. Then he said, to the servant, "Leave us. And put out the lights as you go."

The servant stood and began dousing the candles, one by one. Finally, there was only one candelabra lit, the one by the bed. The room was plunged almost completely into darkness. The servant curtsyed and left, casting an almost sympathetic glance back at her mistress before shutting the bedroom door.

*     *     *     *

Katniss and Peeta were still in bed, their legs tangled together. It was Sunday.

Prim was visiting with her son, James, which meant their own son, William, would be occupied for most of the morning. They had made heated love, as happened more and more lately, since the London season had ended and there was the awareness of the impending arrival of their second child.

Sundays were Peeta's one day of rest. The other six days of the week, he was up with the dawn, and out inspecting the fields or busying himself with some new construction. Or he would be painting some landscape out in the fresh air.

On this particular morning, Peeta had already made two attempts to rise from bed. But twice Katniss had pulled him back to her, kissing him deeply. After the second time, Peeta had smiled and said, indulgently, "Wife, it is getting late."

"What do you mean?" Katniss murmured drowsily, linking the fingers of one hand through her husband's.

"It is close on ten," Peeta said.

"That is not late," Katniss said. "Besides, it is Sunday."

"Shall we leave my sister to breakfast alone, then?" Peeta asked.

Katniss reluctantly conceded the point. She grumbled, "How I wish our lives were made up entirely of Sundays."

Peeta leaned back in and kissed his wife. "I wish the same."

Seeing his wife's face grow solemn, Peeta said, tracing a finger gently across her brow, "I wonder what is in that head of yours."

"Right now? I am wishing that you would stay in bed with me a little longer."

"Wife," Peeta said, "you are a very, very bad liar."

Katniss pouted. Finally, she shrugged and said, "I was thinking about the letter."

She was referring to the written apology from Lady Clove, which had arrived only two days earlier.

"Oh," Peeta said. After a few moments he said, "Do you accept her apology?"

"Peeta, of course I do! How else can we put this ugly incident behind us?"

Peeta was silent for a few moments, his blue eyes hooded. Finally he said, "Yes, that would be the best. To let it go." He turned and fastened his blue eyes on Katniss, eyes that had taken on a tinge of melancholy. He continued, "There is nothing in my past life that you may not know."

Katniss nodded, and squeezed his hand. "I know, dear husband. I know. Do let us not speak of -- what is past."

"That man," Peeta said, "that man who lived before, in my body, is as unlike my real self as can possibly be imagined. I cringe every time I recall the dishonour and disgrace I visited upon my family."

Katniss wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Then let us speak no more of it. I do admire you so. For in spite of everything, there remained in you a core of goodness and beauty and idealism. Oh, you did not throw your inheritance away, Peeta. No malice or pettiness has ever succeeded in taking that away from you. Even when the woman you loved proved unworthy of you -- "

Peeta put up a hand and covered her mouth. "Don't! We shall speak no more of her. Every time I think of how close I came to losing you -- "

Katniss leaned her head against his chest. "You are an honourable man, Peeta," she said. "Which is why I am going to ask you to make me a promise."

"Anything," Peeta said, stroking his wife's long, dark hair.

"Promise me you will never speak to Lady Chiveley again."

 


	78. A PROMISE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Katniss and Peeta

"Peeta," Katniss said, softly, "I know that there are men with horrible secrets in their lives. Men who have done shameful things, and who at some future point have to pay for it. Most pay for it by doing some other act of shame. Oh! But I know you are not like those other men. Tell me, now, what was it between you and Lady Chiveley? If you do not tell me, I fear -- I fear it may kill my love for you. And if that happened, it would kill me, too."

"Katniss!" Peeta exclaimed, turning pale.

"I know you met her in France . . . " Katniss said.

"I knew her. It was a long time ago," Peeta said. "I -- "

"You loved her. Is that it?"

"No!" Peeta shook his head vehemently. "It was never love."

"Because she was beneath you, you could not love her. But men ARE capable of loving what is beneath them. Things unworthy, stained, corrupt. Men worship, even when it costs them everything. But, husband, you will only destroy me if you do not tell me all."

"Dearest wife," Peeta said, holding her tightly to himself, as if he feared she might at any moment run away from him. "I never loved her. I lived a different life in France: a most sordid, dissolute life. All my ideals of love and marriage were destroyed when Anne married Lord Finnick. My life became a series of sordid encounters. I -- "

"No, Peeta," Katniss said. Now it was her turn to put a hand over his mouth. "That is enough. I know." Her grey eyes darkened. They were like storm clouds, Peeta thought. His wife was magnificent, in every sense of the word. "So," she said softly, her eyes lowered, as if she were speaking only to herself, "it was no more than that." A sob escaped her. "I am glad it was no more than that."

Peeta moved to embrace her. "I was dishonourable. Despicable. I am filled with shame."

"She has no power over you now, Peeta," Katniss said. "She thinks she does, but she does not. It is only the power to love that matters. Only love."

Katniss could feel her husband's arms trembling. She lifted her head to look into his face. "You must never see her again, Peeta," Katniss said. "She is not a woman you should ever speak to. She is not worthy to speak to a man like you. No, you must write to her. At once. And let her know your decision is irrevocable!"

"Must I write? She knows. I have told her that."

"It is best to set it down, I feel," Katniss said, slowly. She kept squeezing Peeta's hand as she spoke, as if she could impart to him some of her strength. "Did she -- did she ask money from you?" she asked. Peeta hesitated. "Oh no, Peeta, no," Katniss said. "You must never. It will degrade you. If you have made her any promise, you must take it back. That is all!"


	79. THE ODIOUS TASK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Katniss, Peeta, Daniel (Peeta and Katniss's son), James (Plutarch and Prim's son), and Prim

"Peeta," Katniss said tenderly. "Look at me, love."

Her husband complied. Katniss looked long and earnestly at his face. It was hard to remember a time when she did not know him. She loved looking at him -- at his face, so open and lit with energy. People still occasionally referred to his former life, describing him as having been "quite the dandy," and it annoyed her. Yes, he had played with life. But he had been so grievously misunderstood.

Now, there was sadness in his eyes. She traced her husband's lips with her fingers. "There is no help for it, love," she said. "You must write."

Fervently, Peeta grasped the hand that was tracing his lips. He turned it palm up and pressed a kiss on the very center of it. "I will do what you think is best," he said.

Katniss sighed. "I, too, dislike the thought of you wasting any thought on her. But it would be dangerous to permit her to continue as she has. To let her think she has your attention, simply because of the threat of what she might reveal."

"I will do it today," Peeta said. "So there will be an end to it."

"Yes," Katniss said. She took both Peeta's hands and pressed them over her belly.

* * * *

The first thing Katniss and Peeta heard as they descended from their bedroom was the trample of little feet along the corridor. This was followed soon after by the scolding voice of Prim: "James! Daniel! Do not run in the hallways! You are liable to trip! If you do not do as I say, right this minute, you shall both -- "

"Ah ha!" Peeta said, scooping up the boy nearest to him, who turned out to be his own son, Daniel William Fitzsimmon Mellark. "Have you been a naughty boy, Daniel? No rice pudding for you this week!" At the boy's crestfallen expression, Katniss laughed. She turned to her sister-in-law and asked "Have you breakfasted, Prim?"

Prim said, "Of course I have! It is well nigh eleven! What the two of you have got yourself up to all morning is simply beyond me!"

Katniss blushed. Peeta attempted to come to her assistance: "Katniss had a bout of morning sickness -- " he began.

"Brother, do you expect me to believe that? I know she is well past that stage," Prim retorted. "But, no matter. The boys and I did very well. And after breakfast, Daniel showed me the room you are decorating for the new arrival." Prim's voice softened. "It is very beautiful, Peeta. It quite took my breath away."

* * * *

As soon as Peeta and Katniss had finished their breakfast, Katniss declared she would take Prim and the two little boys to the duck pond. Peeta retreated to his study to devote himself to the odious task of writing a letter to Lady Chiveley. He made at least a dozen starts. He bit his lip, and finally wrote a satisfactory beginning: "I was mistaken in the views I held as a young man. We all may make mistakes. But I have learned from mine." He stopped. The task seemed unbearable. He rose from his desk. Then the memory of his wife's face that morning came floating up. He forced himself to resume his seat. "But if I led you to believe -- "

_What? What had he led Lady Chiveley to believe?_

"Our lives have gone in two completely different directions . . . "

Peeta spent a long time in his study. He had wanted to accomplish the task as quickly as possible but found that was impossible; there were too many threads. Almost three hours later, he looked for his wife and found her with Prim and the two boys in the library. She was seated on a couch, the two boys kneeling at her feet, Lady Prim in a chair across the room. Katniss was reading the boys a story. Peeta watched them for a moment, the thought of the letter he had wanted to show her weighing heavily on his heart. Suddenly, Katniss looked up and saw him standing there. He went to her. He pressed a kiss to the top of his wife's head. "It is finished," he murmured. Even as he said those words of reassurance to his wife, he knew -- and Katniss knew as well -- that the matter was far from laid to rest, that the enemy would not be vanquished so easily.


	80. KATNISS: PRIVATE FEARS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed to slow the pace and catch my breath and that's what this chapter is for. It shows Katniss at home and what she thinks about the whole Chiveley/Peeta thing. I purposely slowed the rhythm here, and kept it entirely within Katniss's head. I hope it doesn't make her too sad.

Katniss knew that tears were a language whose place was in the private sphere. From her books, she knew that people shed tears when they suffered, but also when they were happy.

Katniss herself had shed many tears when her grandmother had passed away. She had thought of her future as bleak and despairing, little knowing that only a few months later, she would meet Lady Prim, and her life would be transformed.

Since her marriage to Peeta, she almost never had occasion to cry. He was a gentle, compassionate, and loving husband. She was completely, serenely, happy.

But with the appearance of Lady Chiveley in London, and especially after the woman's unexpected visit to the London townhouse, and with Peeta's acknowledgment of their past relationship, she often felt herself at the edge of tears.

She was grateful that, at this point, she was already a mother. Her son, William Daniel, was the light of her life. And soon there would be a new baby. In addition, she was kept very busy with the running of the imposing family manor. Lady Laurentia was only too happy to hand over the reins of the day-to-day household management, since she had never been much interested in mundane tasks. 

Even though Katniss supported Peeta in everything, she hated going with him to London. She hated it there, as did he. Yet, as an Earl, he could not retreat. This Lady Laurentia had impressed on both of them. One must be involved in the wider society, Lady Laurentia said: "Society is the fabric of our culture." Thank goodness for Prim and Lord Plutarch, who were often with them at balls. And, more recently, Lady Delly.

And then -- the indiscreet and importunate Lady Chiveley had appeared. And Katniss was forced to think about that other life, the one Peeta had lived before she met him. He had been very experienced, this she had known from their first intimacy. She had decided, from the first, not to let that gnaw at her. He had repudiated that life, all that debauched life, when he had professed his love to her. 

But sometimes she wondered -- could Peeta have produced a child with another woman? Was that what this Lady Chiveley business was all about? The thought almost broke her.

But, of course Peeta would have told her if he had fathered a child, would he not? She trusted that he would.

Gossip had spread after the Prince of Wales's dinner, because Peeta had escorted the Lady to dinner, and the two had engaged in a conversation so intense that they seemed not to notice that there were others present around the dinner table. Peeta had seemed agitated. In fact, at one point (someone had told Katniss), he had made a move to get up and leave the dinner table, which would have been an act of uncommon rudeness.

Lady Prim, too, had heard the talk, and she hastened to reassure Katniss. But, still. This was why Katniss had been so insistent that Peeta write Lady Chiveley a letter, making it very clear that he would indulge no further contact. If they met, he would address her as the wife of the French foreign minister, and Lady Chiveley should not bring up the past, never. Katniss hoped with all her heart that she would never have to lay eyes on Lady Chiveley again, but alas the woman was everywhere. Lord Balmoral was frequently called away to negotiate treaties with this or that foreign government, or taking instructions from the King of France, and the Lady had purchased a home in Mayfair. So it was assured that Katniss would have to see her again. And what of Peeta when the new child had arrived? Would he not have to go to London by himself? What then?

Oh, she hated these sorts of thoughts. She did not doubt her husband, she was assured of his devotion and loyalty, but she knew there would be separations. 

Peeta had sent off the letter. She did not know what response, if any, Lady Chiveley would make. She rather hoped the woman would retreat into a discreet silence. If she had any feelings at all for Peeta, she would do what was best for him, would she not?

And then, as if sensing her melancholy, the baby inside her would kick, as if demanding her attention. Katniss would give a guilty start. Never would she impart her fears to Peeta. Never.


	81. FLASHBACK 1: FRANCE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm attempting to show a little of Peeta's life when he was in France, right after Lady Anne ditched him for Finnick.
> 
> So, this is a FLASHBACK. This is all in the days when he was trying to drown his heartbreak with distractions like -- travel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can't stand Lady Chiveley, you may want to skip reading this and the next few chapters.

Peeta disembarked at Calais. Then, to take him to Paris, he hired a huge carriage with tiny windows. He didn't want to look at the passing scenery. He wanted to be miserable and to wallow in his misery.

To tell the truth, it had been an age since Peeta had last been in France. In fact, it may have been when he was quite a young lad -- perhaps 12 or so.

He had not bothered to book accommodation at his destination.

"I'll just knock about for a bit," he thought. "See where I end up."

He remembered a name bandied about by some of his associates, and when the coachman informed him that they were on the outskirts of Paris, he asked the coachman if he knew The Hotel des Etrangers.

"On the Rue Vivienne?" the coachman said. "Near the Louvre?"

"Yes, that's it," Peeta replied, in perfect French. He had a good education, at least. The coachman had no trouble communicating with him.

The hotel, it turned out, was perfect for Peeta. The area was quite Bohemian. One street over was the Rue Coq St-Honoré, and a better name for a street Peeta could not have imagined. There were two milliners' shops on that street, and the ladies who worked within augmented their meager pay by doing favors for customers.

A day or so after he had arrived in Paris, Peeta was walking past one of the milliners' when he heard the high tinkle of feminine laughter. Stopping, he peered in through the glass window and saw a young woman with curly blonde hair piled on the top of her head, chatting with a gentleman. While the lady was distracted, Peeta allowed his eyes to wander over her form. She was very shapely.

Peeta returned the next day, and this time the woman was alone in the shop. Alone, that is, except for another woman, a mousy girl, who started when Peeta walked in the door.

Thankfully, the blonde woman rose immediately and addressed him: "May I help you, Sir?"

Peeta then had to make up some nonsense about trying to find a friend's house and getting lost.

"That is easy to do in the Marais," the blonde woman said. "But, have no fear. We are rather slow today; I shall accompany you."

Then Peeta had to protest very much and say that he would not dream of intruding on her.

The blonde woman only laughed and slipped her arm through his. He could smell her rich perfume. It made him quite dizzy.

A few minutes later, Peeta confessed that he did not really have a friend; he was just trying to think of an excuse to talk to her.

"Oh, of course," the blonde woman said, making a dismissive gesture. "But you still have not asked me for my name."

They sat at a café, and Peeta ordered a demitasse for himself and the lady. "Have you been to the Louvre?" Lady Chiveley inquired.

 


	82. BACK TO THE PRESENT: LADY KATNISS MAKES A DISCOVERY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OKAY. This chapter will be hard to read for Everlark.
> 
> But it will NOT break them.
> 
> Skip if you already hate Peeta so much.

Katniss was not coy about sex. She enjoyed it, very much. The first time she and Peeta had been intimate had been a week or so before the wedding. They had kissed and fondled each other, over their clothes. They had become a little too heated, Katniss had put her hand over Peeta's -- well, that. He had gasped and then, put his hand over her dress, at the juncture of her thighs. They had been in a meadow -- far from the main house. Katniss was almost sure no one had seen them. But what if someone had?

They had both been foolish. But Katniss understood the nature of desire. It was not to be taken lightly.

Katniss had been thinking much of Lady Chiveley, since the day she had shown up unexpectedly at Lord Plutarch's London townhouse. At the familiarity with which she let drop Peeta's name. Naturally, jealousy had flared up in Katniss's chest, and she had sent the woman packing. But she could imagine, she could well imagine what might have taken place between this woman and Peeta.

She had thought about it so much that, one day, she decided to rummage through Peeta's things. And in some drawer in his study, there had been a series of sketchbooks. These were covered in a thick layer of dust, so she knew he had not looked at them in a very long time.

Taking the two topmost sketchbooks out of the drawer, and bringing them to the light, Katniss saw a series of sketches of a female nude. They were hastily done, but even then she could admire the artistry of Peeta's hand. She leafed through these, recognizing no one.

The other sketchbook was far worse. This one showed people engaged in The Act itself. But they were drawn with an intensity of detail that the other drawings did not have. A half dozen of these sketches showed three people on a bed. The man was fair-haired, as was one of the women. Katniss bit her lip, for she did recognize the two fair-haired subjects. The other woman was dark-haired: the man had his arms around each woman, drawing them closer to himself.

There was color in these sketches: a warm wash of reddish light. Perhaps it was the sun, shining through the heavy red curtains of the bed canopy. The women's breasts were full, the nipples erect. Perhaps the man had just been enjoying them. The bedsheets had been wantonly kicked to the floor, and rested on top of a crumpled pile of clothing. Katniss could just make out a corset, a skirt, a pair of discarded shoes with low heels and laces.

One of these tableaux was complete and worked up in colour to a considerable degree. She could see the three heads laying on a green damask bolster. Thankfully, the lower parts of their bodies were covered by a white sheet.

Katniss ran her fingers over the man -- over Peeta. "He is so beautiful," she murmured.

She sat and thought and then refused to judge him. Men of his station often paid for sex. She knew this, had known it since she was a little girl. But was that all Lady Chiveley was to him? Why would he have bothered to sketch this? There was a joy and freedom to the depiction.

"Oh, Peeta," Katniss said.

Turning to the very last page of the sketchbook, Katniss discovered a portrait of Lady Chiveley. She was wearing a hat trimmed with full-blown roses. The hat had a veil that partially covered the lady's face, but Katniss knew at once that it was she.

She returned the sketchbooks to the drawer. If Peeta ever looked in that drawer, he would know at once that the contents had been recently disturbed. At first, Katniss felt a pang of anxiety. Then, giving her head a shake, she thought, _Pshaw! Let him know! I am his wife._

She went on with her day, but felt an irrepressible loneliness when she saw Peeta again, at dinner.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naughty drawings were a "thing" among gentlemen in England, France, all over Europe. Peeta was an excellent artist, and sketching gave him pleasure. So, it's not so far-fetched that he would umm -- make these. No excuses.


	83. PEETA VISITS LORD PLUTARCH

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Lord Plutarch, Peeta, and Prim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lord Plutarch is sort of like "the Fixer" in this story: someone super-loyal, discreet, and also shrewd. Peeta is so lucky he has someone like his brother-in-law to watch his back.

"What is it now," Lord Plutarch said, glancing at the small stack of sketchbooks Peeta had placed before him.

Since Katniss had told Peeta she had stumbled across his sketchbooks, at dinner the previous evening, Peeta had been unable to get a moment of sleep. As soon as it was first light, he had roused his coachmen and instructed them to take him to the Heavensbee estate. Lord Plutarch had received him with a very exasperated air. But, being the good brother-in-law that he was, he had accepted the sketchbooks, and then opened them, because one must know what sort of devil one must deal with, in order to fight them better.

"Heavens!" Lord Plutarch burst out, which was an expression he rarely used, having been teased so much about his own name when growing up.

"I would have burned them, but I wanted you to have an idea . . . in case Lady Chiveley . . . "

"In case Lady Chiveley, what? Blackmails you? It would be the death of your mother, you know." After a moment's pause, Lord Plutarch continued, "And the other lady? Who is she?"

"An acquaintance of Lady Chiveley's. I believe her name was Delfine. I do not have a last name."

"And you would like me to track her down?" Lord Plutarch said.

"No!" Peeta burst out. "I will burn those, now you have looked at them." He reached out a hand.

Lord Plutarch said, "They shall not leave this room. But -- burn them? Not yet. We may yet find some use for them against Chiveley." (In his mind, Lord Plutarch no longer thought of the woman as "Lady")

Lord Plutarch stood and began to pace. "I have heard the talk about her, but. Hmmm . . . "

"Hmm what?" Peeta snapped.

"French women are rather different from our English ladies. They are not as easily abashed. Clearly."

Peeta snorted.

"But what does she want, Peeta? Is it merely to humiliate you? Why? Toward what end? It would be an embarrassment for her as well, would it not? Lord Balmoral might even divorce her."

Peeta shrugged helplessly.

"You are sure this is all of them?" Lord Plutarch said.

"Those are all I had in my possession," Peeta replied.

"I do not quite like the wording of your response," Lord Plutarch said.

"There may be -- one other. I do not have it in my possession."

"Perhaps we should offer her money," Lord Plutarch said. "Perhaps that is all she is after. I hear her lifestyle is quite lavish."

"I did indicate I would be willing to offer money for the return of the sketchbook, but she did not specify an amount, and insisted I meet with her again. And Katniss was dead set against it."

Lord Plutarch's eyebrows rose. "Your wife knows?"

Peeta nodded miserably. If there were ever a time when Peeta wanted to pull his hair out, it was then.

"Putting aside for the moment the matter of the scandal," Lord Plutarch said, "these sketchbooks are illuminating in another regard: you are a very talented artist. If we were to sell them at auction, they could fetch a rather hefty price, I have no doubt."

Peeta stared at him for a few moments. Then turned on his heel and walked out.

Lord Plutarch gazed at Peeta's retreating back and sighed heavily. He had not been facetious when he praised Peeta's skill. The sketches were intimate but they were not vulgar. People sometimes took Lord Plutarch for a prude, simply because he was not handsome. But he was no prude. He had had his youthful affairs.

Suddenly, he heard his wife's high-pitched voice calling "Peeta! Peeta!" Then, he heard urgent steps approaching his study. His wife burst in, face flushed and angry. "My brother! He rushed right past me! What has happened?"

Of course, Prim being Prim, and Lord Plutarch being slow to react -- more so than usual -- Peeta's sketchbooks were still in front of him, and Prim's eyes were drawn to them almost immediately.

"What are those?" Prim said, approaching Lord Plutarch's desk. "Those look like Peeta's sketchbooks."

"No," Lord Plutarch said, putting a hand down on the topmost sketchbook. "These are not for a lady's perusal."

"Oh-hooo," Prim huffed, crossing her arms. "So you and Peeta are sharing his dirty pictures?"

"Of course not!" Lord Plutarch protested. "I would never -- "

"Plutarch Joseph Heavensbee, if you do not -- right this minute -- remove your hand from that stack of sketchbooks, I shall take your son to Peeta's and you shall not hear from us for at least a month."

Very reluctantly, Lord Plutarch removed his hand from the topmost sketchbook. Prim, with an air of bravado, picked up the first sketchbook. Plutarch saw that her hand was visibly trembling.

"Is -- is my brother in these?" she whispered, laying the sketchbook back down on the table. Without waiting for Plutarch's answer, she drew back. She said, "Mother always said he had talent. He should have been sent to London, he might have thrived there, instead of wasting his time in the country with _her_."

"But these are not of _her_ ," Lord Plutarch said.

Prim looked up at him. "No? Who, then?"

"Chiveley."

There was a very long silence in the room. "Perhaps I shall visit, see how Katniss is doing," Prim said.

 


	84. FLASHBACK 2: PORTRAIT OF PEETA AS A YOUNG ARTIST

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DO NOT READ IF YOU HATE CHIVELEY!
> 
> I'M WARNING YOU!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Lady Chiveley and Peeta
> 
> Lady Chiveley discovers what a talented artist Peeta is.

"I missed you so, _mon chére_ ," Lady Chiveley said, turning to switch on the lamp.

It was evening. Time always passed so quickly when she was with Peeta. He had been away several weeks, somewhere on the Rhine.

"Why are you going?" she had asked petulantly. He told her he wanted to paint, but she did not believe him. They had been lovers for two months.

Peeta smiled and kissed her. "Ah, it was grand," he said. "I filled two sketchbooks."

Lady Chiveley pouted. "You have not yet shown me . . . " she said. _Now, I have him! He will not be able to hide from me now!_

Great was her surprise when Peeta rose from the bed, walked to his bags, and produced two large sketchbooks. She gazed mutely as he brought them to the bed (What did she care about sketchbooks? She cared not a fig!). He laid the first one open between them.

Lady Chiveley looked, but not at the sketches. She was watching Peeta's face. He wore an expression of utter joy. It was simply stunning.

"I sketched this range of hills between Bonn and Coblenz," Peeta said. "Look! I included a castle."

Lady Chiveley lowered her gaze. "Oh," she said. "I had no idea the Rhine was so . . . wide."

"It is!" Peeta said, not noticing her. "Then I moved south, sketching castle after castle." He turned the pages of the sketchbook. "Here is Burg Rheineck."

Lady Chiveley forced herself to look. There was indeed a castle, looming high above a village.

Peeta turned a page. "This is the watchtower at Andernach." He turned another page. "And this is Marxburg."

"How many sketches did you make in all?" Lady Chiveley asked.

"Twenty-seven," Peeta said, proudly.

"Twenty-seven!" Lady Chiveley said. "And you were gone six weeks!"

"I worked as fast as I could . . . " Peeta said.

"But I missed you so much!" Lady Chiveley said.

Peeta noticed her lack of disinterest and immediately closed his sketchbooks. "I am sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

"Now that I know how skilled you are, could you do my portrait?"

"Nothing would please me more!" Peeta assured her. "When would you like to start?"

"Now, this moment," Lady Chiveley said, lying back on the bed.

"As -- as you are now?" Peeta stammered.

"Yes," Lady Chiveley said. "Let us see if you are as good at painting a woman's body as you are at painting the Rhine!"

*     *     *

Peeta continued to sketch, and to travel. Though Lady Chiveley's moods when he returned were rather unpredictable, he did not stop. There was a world he was entering, a world that was much, much bigger than the one he had known with Lady Anne.

His sister wrote, and begged him to return to England. He wrote back that he would return, eventually. He refused to commit to a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I wanted to show how the idea for the nude sketches came from Lady Chiveley. Peeta really wanted to practice his art, and she cleverly found a way to take advantage of that.


	85. FLASHBACK 3: THE END OF THE RELATIONSHIP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, I think we've all had enough of Lady Chiveley.
> 
> I am sending Peeta back to England. Peeta's drawings reflect a change in him; he is ready to go home.
> 
> Though, in a way, this interlude was one of the happiet times of his life: away from London society and the demands of his station, he was able to flourish as a painter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly from Lady Chiveley's point of view. You can skip it; the important thing is it shows her reasoning about how to survive. Even here, she is already preparing herself for a better match, someone like Lord Balmoral.
> 
> Katniss enters the story at the very end of this chapter. Lady Chiveley hears about the Songbird of Yorkshire.

Peeta was happy, despite the fact that his most recent sketches had turned dark, the colors muddied. Lady Chiveley looked at them with skepticism. He continued to make drawings of her, but in most of these new ones her face was shaded, blotted out. There was only a suggestion of HER. A curve of a shoulder, the line of her torso. And then, shadows.

Peeta was changing, almost before Lady Chiveley's eyes.

Lady Chiveley had never been with an artist before, and that Peeta most certainly was.

She had thought he was a nobleman. Which he was, of course he was. But there was something else about him. He was not just a nobleman. He was an artist and a nobleman. He was a strange creature; she did not understand him.

She reflected on his restlessness. He could never remain in Paris longer than a week at a time. He must go exploring: to Bruges, to Rotterdam. Once, he had gone back to Calais. That had set Lady Chiveley to trembling. She knew he had entered France through Calais, immediately after his heart had been broken by his childhood sweetheart. She questioned him closely: why had he gone to Calais? What was there to see in Calais? He gave her only vague answers.

She watched him as he sat across from her and sketched. He was sitting in golden light. He was so young; his skin was smooth, like glass. She thought about the chasm in temperament between them: he was like water, the more she tried to grasp him, the more he eluded her.

This was when Lady Chiveley knew she was in love with him. That thought, though, did not make her happy. No. She realized it was not good for her. Love had never done anything for her. She had been in love once before. And the man had abandoned her. It was a good thing she was a skilled hatmaker, with a growing clientele in Paris.

The following month, Peeta informed Lady Chiveley that he was returning to England. Of course, she had anticipated this.

"You have tired of me," she said, unable to keep a tremor from her voice.

He of course denied it. "My sister is engaged," he said. "The wedding will be in several months' time."

"And what of your art?" she asked him. She knew it would not flourish in England. He would bury it.

He did not answer. She saw doubt in his eyes.

"May I keep one of your sketchbooks?" she had asked.

Peeta had agreed. He had let her choose. She chose the sketchbook he had filled with them in the early days of their relationship. She had felt so beautiful then.

She kept this sketchbook close.

Eventually, she met other men; she did not bed any of them. She had determined that her attractiveness was fading. She would have to make an intelligent choice. She began being less friendly with her set. She wished to appear a proper lady.

She took acting and voice lessons. It was important that she cultivate the right accent and the right sort of gestures.

The acting lessons had been worth every sous.

She had bewitched Lord Balmoral, utterly.

As for Peeta, after his return to England, Lady Chiveley learned that he had taken up again with Lady Anne. She expected it would end with Lord Finnick challenging Peeta to a duel, and she was correct. What she had not anticipated was for the duel to be called off at the very last minute, and how Peeta had, the following year, married a common woman, a woman known as the Songbird of Yorkshire for her beautiful voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Back to the present. Peeta is back from visiting Lord Plutarch.


	86. THE RETURN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is NOT a flashback.
> 
> Peeta has returned to his estate after that brief call to Lord Plutarch.
> 
> In this episode: Peeta, a coachman and various servants, Prim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just keep in mind the endgame: four kids, eventually.

All the way back to his estate, Peeta thought and thought about his life, about his errors, about the past, about Lord Plutarch, and of course about his wife. The carriage rocked and swayed, and eventually, because he was exhausted, he fell into a fitful sleep. He was roused by the voice of his coachman, saying, "We have arrived, my Lord."

He got down sluggishly from the carriage. The servants were lined up to greet him as usual.

"My wife?" he asked the nearest servant, a maid.

That woman exchanged a nervous glance with the next nearest servant, another maid.

"What?" Peeta bit out, an unreasonable fear taking hold of him. He knew, even before he heard the young woman's answer.

 _Shall I go after her?_ Peeta thought, dizzy with grief. _Shall I ask where?_

"She left word that she would be back shortly, my Lord," said the maid.

"And -- my son? Is he with her?"

"Yes, my Lord," said the maid.

 _No_ , he thought. _It is not possible!_

A footman came up. "Shall I take your coat, my Lord?" he said.

"No!" Peeta said. "I shall go for a walk."

"Shall I accompany you, sir?" asked a groom.

Peeta shook his head. "Tell her -- " he began, then stopped. "Tell your Lady Katniss, if she returns before me, that she should make herself comfortable in the Library, and I shall join her there presently."

"Yes, my Lord," said the servants, in unison.

"Where is her maid?" Peeta said.

"She has gone as well, my Lord," a servant said. "And the governess."

*     *     *     *     *

"Peeta!" Prim said, coming up behind him as he sat, pensive, in the Library. The fire was burning bright. The chair across from him, the chair his wife always sat in, was empty.

"What are you doing here?" Peeta asked, lifting his head.

"I came as soon as I could. Where is she?"

"She will be back shortly," Peeta said. "She has only gone for a little while."

"Then I shall wait with you," Prim said, removing her bonnet and seating herself in the chair he thought of as Katniss's chair.

Peeta wanted to tell his sister she couldn't sit there, but thought better of it and held his tongue. He stared moodily into the fire.

Brother and sister sat for a while in silence. Then Prim spoke: "Peeta, where is she, really?"

"Strange you should ask," Peeta said. "I thought she was with you."

"No! She is not with me! Would I have kept that knowledge from you?"

Peeta sat up. "I do not know where she is," he said. "The servants said she assured them she would return. But it has been almost two days now . . . " He stared at his sister with a dawning realization. "You know about -- the -- "

Prim nodded and reached for her brother's hand.

"Of course you do," Peeta said. "You and Plutarch keep nothing from each other. You and he are like two peas in a pod." Prim said nothing but only squeezed her brother's hand. "I should have burned those sketchbooks," Peeta continued. "The woman means nothing to me."

"Then why did you do them, Peeta. Why?" Prim said vehemently. "You are my older brother and I love you dearly but sometimes you can be so stupid."

"She flattered me," Peeta said. "She was the Mistress of Flattery. And I was young and foolish and believed her lies." Peeta's voice grew hard and bitter. "I showed her the sketches I had done while traveling down the Rhine. She said she had seen nothing better. Called me an Artist. Me! No one ever called me that before. It was like music to my ears."

Prim gazed reflectively at her brother. "But you _are_ an artist. If you had simply asked me, I would have told you."

"Stop it," Peeta said. "You're my sister. Why should I believe you?"

Prim looked down. She noticed something about her brother's hand and said, "You've been sketching, haven't you? I can see the smudge marks."

Peeta pulled his hand away. "Yes. What else is there to do at two in the morning when you can't sleep? I see her face. Her lovely face. And my son's. I have not slept in two days. Yes, I have been drawing."

Prim's eyes suddenly filled with tears of pity. "Oh, Peeta," she murmured. "If she does not return, what will you do?"

When Peeta did not answer, Prim said, with an air of firm resolve, "We must find her, Peeta. It is not safe, a woman in her condition."

Peeta glanced down at his charcoal-smudged fingers. "Yes, I shall find her. But after, what then? She will not want to come back."

"Go to sleep, Peeta," Prim said. "In the morning, I am sure you and I together can come up with some sort of plan."

 

 

 


	87. LORD PLUTARCH ARRIVES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Katniss yet, sorry to keep you all in suspense. 
> 
> In this episode: Prim, Lord Plutarch, and Peeta
> 
> (Servants standing about)

Lord Plutarch arrived the next morning; Prim met him in the hallway.

"Your brother --?" he said to his wife. She pointed with her chin: the Library down the hall. Lord Plutarch made to pass when Prim put her small hand on his right arm.

"Did you find out anything?" Prim asked him.

"About Chiveley?" Lord Plutarch asked.

"No, you dolt!" Prim said. "I meant about Katniss. Where she could have gone."

"Well," Lord Plutarch said. "She doesn't have that many friends. There are only a few places. If I were to guess, I'd say she's in York."

"In York!" Prim said, her eyes widening. At that moment, she knew her husband was right.

"With the Sisters," she murmured.

"That, or they found someone to put her up. Someone with quite a large house. You did say she left with your nephew, and the governess, and the maid?"

"Yes," Prim said. And she wondered why the coachman had not returned. Katniss had inspired more loyalty in her servants than perhaps even Peeta had expected. Prim looked around now: there was a footman, and a maid, both standing a few yards away, eyes discreetly on the ground.

"Well, I shall to York directly," Prim said. Her eyes softened. "James is well?"

"Your son is well," Lord Plutarch said. "He misses his mother, as all boys do. But you will be back soon. I have told him. Further, I have read him all the books in the nursery until I feel my eyes have crossed."

He did not wait to see his wife's reaction; he knew she was smiling.

Lord Plutarch pushed open the door to the Library; he remembered when Peeta had had it built. Peeta had been so proud of his wife, of her love for books. He remembered many an evening he and Prim had spent there, with Peeta and Katniss. Seeing the familiar room filled him with sadness.

Peeta was sitting by the fire; he looked up when Lord Plutarch entered. Lord Plutarch saw that there was a book open on Peeta's lap.

"A good book?" Lord Plutarch said, by way of greeting.

"Hers," Peeta said. "It was open on the table when I came home. She left off at, listen -- " Peeta began to read, in a soft voice: "They fed us soft-boiled eggs, six in a basket covered in a dishcloth. Our mother with one swift crunch could -- "

Lord Plutarch put up a hand. "Good God, is that a novel?" he said.

"It is," Peeta said. "There was a pile of these she had laid by, knowing she would be confined at home with -- with the -- " He broke off.

Neither men spoke for a few moments.

Presently, Lord Plutarch took his seat in an armchair opposite Peeta. Peeta glanced briefly at him, as if there were words he wished to say, but changed his mind and turned his gaze back to the fire. "You do not look well, sir," Lord Plutarch said.

"Who can look well whose wife has left him," Peeta said.

"Good God, man, will you listen to yourself? Pray, dispense with the self-pity!" Lord Plutarch protested.

He saw a flicker of anger in Peeta's eyes, but when his brother-in-law spoke, his voice was calm: "I deserve it. I deserve whatever. I only wish she had not taken our son."

"Well, well, let us not jump to conclusions. She may very well have just wanted a little -- rest. Perhaps it is best, for the present. Until we have settled the matter with the -- ah -- art lover. Chiveley, I mean."

Peeta's eyebrows rose but he said nothing.

"We must be smart, now, Peeta, and strong-minded. This will not be easy, but I hear Chiveley is rather whimsical, rather used to lords coming at her beck and call. I have seen women like that. They expect compliance. But if you know your own mind, and we move cautiously . . . "

He bent his head closer to Peeta's. Peeta nodded, encouraging Lord Plutarch to go on.

They spoke for almost two hours. Peeta told Lord Plutarch everything about his time in France. Lord Plutarch finally rose and said, "Well, Peeta, you must let me handle things from my end, for several days at least. In the meantime, you must try your best to bring Lady Katniss home."


	88. SHE'S BACK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this being so short. I write in flashes. Hope it's okay for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Katniss and Peeta
> 
> Peeta is a little distraught at the end, and Katniss is numb.

Peeta was staring out the window of his study. It faced the back of the grounds: he could see the path leading to a far-off copse of trees, sheltering the family chapel. He'd been staring out the window for hours. Days.

The desk before him was a mess of hasty sketches. Most of Katniss. Two of William Daniel.

It was a beautiful morning. Normally, he would be out on the grounds, taking his son for a walk.

He tried to push away his sadness but the sob came out anyway.

"Peeta," he heard, from somewhere behind him. He froze. Was he just imagining it or had he really heard Katniss's voice in the room? He shut his eyes, feeling lightheaded.

He'd tried to stay away from drink, the past week, and he'd succeeded. Until today. He turned.

She was there, standing at the door to his study.

"You're back?" He was trying to be careful, but it was hard. "Where did you go?" He took a step towards her, opening his arms.

She answered his question with one of her own: "Did you look for me?"

"Yes," Peeta said. "I went to York, and stopped by the Sisters, but you weren't there." He couldn't stop staring at her. God, she was so beautiful. She smelled clean, and fresh, and lovely. Her skin was a little darker, as it used to get every summer. She so loved being outdoors, just walking.

There was warmth pooling in her eyes. In his too.

"Why would I go to York?" she asked.

Because, Peeta thought. Because the Sisters.

"I don't know," he said. "I just assumed -- "

"No," she said. "I wouldn't bother the Sisters with -- my messes."

Her eyes kept moving over him, as his moved over hers. Her stomach was no bigger than the last time, two weeks ago. Following the direction of his glance, she placed a protective hand over her belly.

"So where _were_ you?" Peeta asked.

She decided to ignore the question. "You've been --" she swallowed. "Sketching."

She came forward suddenly and took his right hand. He let her. She held it, palm upwards, and frowned. Her forefinger ran over the callus on his middle finger. Peeta shivered. Her glance went up to his face. "There's a smudge on your cheek."

Before he could answer, she moved away, closer to the door. "You take care," she said, turning.

"I will," Peeta said.

And that was that. Or so Peeta thought. He waited a moment. Two moments. Three. Then he dashed after her, calling, "Wait!" She had not gotten very far. He caught up with her at the end of the hallway. "For God's sake," Peeta said, grabbing her arm and making her turn. "Why are you doing this? You cannot seriously be considering -- " his voice cracked. He couldn't say the words.

She sagged a bit, then. She allowed him to put his arms around her.

"Did you not get my letters?" he murmured into her hair. "I sent to the Sisters, to everyone I could think of. Even to Lady Delilah. My mother is so furious with me, she has gone to stay at Prim's. She will not return unless you are here, too, she says. You are breaking my heart, Katniss. The servants stay away, I screamed at the maid when she wanted to change the sheets. They still smell of you. And now all I can think is, thank God you're back. Thank God."

Then Peeta noticed a maidservant standing a few yards away, at the head of the stairs. The servant, a young woman, was very pale, watching them. Noticing Peeta's gaze on her, she clutched her skirts and swallowed. "My Lord," she said, hesitantly. "I came to see if my mistress -- if you or my mistress -- required any assistance."

"Katniss, you need to lie down," Peeta said.

She nodded.

Peeta turned to the servant. "We shall take your mistress to the bedroom. Take her other arm."

With the servant's assistance, they moved more easily, but still not as easily as Peeta would have liked.

 _Something is wrong_ , he thought. _She seems to be weakening._

He glanced at the maid, whose anxiety over her mistress's condition was very evident.

"Send for the doctor," he told the servant. "I can take her from here. Go!"

He picked up his wife and noted she seemed lighter, in spite of being --

_Seven months, my wife is seven months pregnant._


	89. WILLIAM DANIEL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Peeta, William Daniel, Leevy (William Daniel's governess), and a Doctor

Peeta walked slowly down the stairs. Katniss was asleep now. The doctor was with her. Peeta hadn't wanted to leave his wife's side, but he also knew that his son was downstairs, alone.

As soon as he entered the parlor, his knees buckled. His son had thrown himself at him. The governess -- her name was Leevy, she had grown up on the estate, as had her parents -- stood a little way off, looking anxious.

Peeta hugged his son. "I missed you so much," he said.

The little boy hugged his knees tighter. Peeta lifted him and carried him to a couch.

He met the governess's eyes. "I'll be fine with him. I'll call if I need you," Peeta told her.

Leevy made a small curtsy.

"I should thank you," Peeta said, in a hoarse voice. "For taking good care of him."

"Think nothing of it, my Lord. It was my duty," Leevy said, abashed. Lords never thanked the help. There must be something wrong with the master.

"I shall pay you double your salary, the last month," Peeta said. "Daniel looks well. He looks very well!"

"My Lord, I -- " Leevy began, but Peeta put up a hand.

"Have you supped? Go and have cook prepare you a meal. I shall be with Daniel; I shall send for you if I need you."

Leevy curtsied again, rather more hastily, and quickly left the room. Peeta rocked Daniel in his arms.

"Have you been a good boy, Daniel?" Peeta murmured.

Daniel nodded without lifting his head.

"You must be very tired. Shall we go to your room?"

Daniel nodded, again without lifting his head. Peeta stood, his son in his arms. "I didn't want to leave," Daniel whimpered. "Did you throw away my toys?"

Peeta was horrified. "No, Daniel. I would never throw anything. I spent quite a lot of time in your room. Do you remember how we were painting a wall together?"

Daniel looked up at him.

"Well, I finished. I don't know if you'll like it. We can start over, together. You can paint anything you like."

Daniel smiled.

Peeta and Daniel were in the boy's room when Leevy came to tell Peeta that the Doctor was ready to take his leave. Peeta hurried out immediately and saw the Doctor waiting for him in the hallway. "Will she be all right?" Peeta asked.

"Yes," the Doctor hastened to reassure him. "But, my Lord, she needs to rest. No excitement now until the baby comes. It would be best if she were confined to bed . . . "

"Will she need a nurse?" Peeta asked, feeling as though his heart were splitting, so great were his emotions.

"Heavens, no!" the Doctor said. "She is not an invalid. And she is young and strong. But her nerves, you know, are rather delicate. They often are, with women at this stage of pregnancy."

"I shall be at her side, always," Peeta said.

"Good, good!" the doctor said. "I shall look in on her in a week's time."

When he had seen the Doctor off, Peeta hurried back to the bedroom. Katniss was still asleep. As quietly as he could, Peeta took a chair and carried it to the side of the bed. Then he sat and looked at his wife's sleeping face.

"I promise to be the husband you deserve," Peeta said softly. "You can never leave me again, Katniss, for I would die of grief."

It grew dark. A servant came in to light the candelabra. She asked if Peeta would be having his dinner, and if so,  would he like it brought up? Peeta nodded yes to both questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning to make the next chapter a conversation between Peeta and his mother.


	90. KATNISS AWAKENS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Katniss, Peeta, Leevy, Daniel (Peeta's son, William Daniel -- why I keep referring to him by his middle name is because that's apparently what I've been doing since -- 30 chapters ago)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One possible scenario. I may tweak, if time allows.

Katniss opened her eyes. It took her a few moments to realize where she was. She heard a low, rhythmic sound from somewhere in the room and turned her head to the side. There was a figure sitting in a chair next to the bed. She let her eyes get used to the dimness in the room -- why were the curtains drawn? -- and recognized Peeta. He was fast asleep, softly snoring.

She sucked in a breath. One hand went instinctively to her belly. Yes, she heaved a sigh of relief. The child was all right. She could feel it shift. In fact, she felt a poke in her side. She closed her eyes again. So she was really home. The dream she had, about being on a ship, was a mirage. She felt pressure against her eyelids, as if she might start crying again.

Suddenly, Peeta jerked. He was still asleep, but his hands were in motion.

What was he dreaming about, Katniss wondered. A flood of emotion filled her.

The door to the bedroom opened, just a crack. Katniss looked hopefully at the door. "Daniel?" she whispered.

Leevy's voice spoke: "I tried to keep him away, my Lady, as I know you need your rest. But he wanted to see you."

Peeta stirred. Katniss glanced back at him. He had opened his eyes and was looking at her with a strange intensity. He stood and came closer to the bed. He lifted a hand and stroked her cheek. "How do you feel?" he murmured.

Katniss heard the sound of running steps. "Daniel!" she called.

The little boy would have flung himself on her if Peeta had not snatched him up. "Not yet, Daniel. Your mother is very tired."

Katniss stretched her arms wide. "Let him come to me, Peeta."

Peeta kept a firm hold on Daniel. "Not yet," he said.

Katniss frowned.

"If," Peeta relented, "he promises to be very gentle."

"I promise," Daniel said, solemnly.

So Peeta laid his son on the ground, and Daniel approached his mother gingerly. Then he bent and let his mother embrace him. Katniss smoothed her son's hair and smiled.

Peeta watched for a few moments then said, in a low voice, "I have written my mother, telling her of your return. I expect she will make haste here. She may even arrive as early as tomorrow."

Katniss looked up at her husband, taking in the lines of exhaustion on his face. She nodded. "I look forward to seeing her," she said. "Did you sleep in that chair?"

Peeta nodded.

"Why did you not lie on the bed?" Katniss asked.

"I wanted to," Peeta said. "I would have. But you looked so peaceful . . . " He shrugged and his voice died away.

Katniss reached out a hand, and he took it. "God knows," Peeta said, "I do not deserve you . . . I was worried sick."

Husband and wife looked at each other, but both their hearts were too full for words. Peeta offered to take Daniel for a walk.

"Do not take too long," Katniss said.

A smile appeared on Peeta's face -- the first smile he'd been capable of in weeks.


	91. PEETA AND WILLIAM DANIEL GO FOR A WALK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Daniel, Peeta, and Katniss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much happens. Daniel and Peeta go for a walk and look at daffodils.

Daniel skipped as he and his father walked along. The sun was out; it was a beautiful, mild spring day.

"Where shall we walk to, Daniel?" his father asked him.

"Could we walk to the village?"

Peeta looked down at his son. "That's a little bit of a longer walk, and I did promise your mother that we wouldn't take too long."

Daniel looked crestfallen, but only for a moment. "The field of daffodils!" he said.

Peeta smiled. He had planted hundreds of daffodils in the months after his wedding. There were huge drifts blooming now, including a very large group just within sight of Katniss's library. Father and son made their leisurely way over to the side of the manor, to the small garden Peeta had created just for Katniss, so that she would always have flowers to look at in the spring, summer, and autumn. Daniel pulled Peeta's hand and said, "Can I take some of these to Mother?"

"Of course!" Peeta said. He wished he had thought of that sooner. His wife loved flowers. He should have given the servants' instructions to have fresh arrangements brought up to their bedroom, every morning. Thinking of the flowers then brought Peeta to the image of Katniss, lying on the bed, the look on her face as he prepared to take Daniel out of the room. She had looked melancholy.

Daniel was snatching haphazardly at the daffodils, not caring how many he trampled. Peeta called to him: "You have enough, Daniel. Let us go back to your mother." Daniel came at once, crushing a bunch of daffodils in one pudgy fist. They made their way back to the main house and then up the stairs, Peeta's anxiety mounting.

I should not have left her alone, Peeta berated himself. Not for a moment.

Daniel called out excitedly, "Mummy!" as soon as they entered the room. Peeta said, "Wait!" but it was too late; Daniel had already rushed to the bed and thrust the daffodils into Katniss's chest. Peeta was profuse in his apologies. "I'm sorry," he said to Katniss. "Did we wake you?"

"No," Katniss said, but Peeta saw that it was a lie, for he could see crease marks from the pillow on her right cheek.

"Daniel," Peeta said. "Your mother needs to rest. Let us find a vase for the flowers."

Daniel reached up to give his mother a hug before getting up and going to his father.

"I shall send for your maid," Peeta said to Katniss, seeing once again the flash of melancholy in his wife's eyes and not wanting to leave her alone. "I shall be back shortly, once I have delivered him up to his governess."

"And then we shall talk," Katniss said, quietly.

Peeta looked at her. There was a new determination in her eyes. "Yes," he said. "Then we shall talk."

A few minutes later, Peeta returned, his breath a ragged rhythm in his chest. He did not know what he would say, or rather what he could say. He had decided he would listen, and let his wife sort her feelings out. And then he would tell her that he loved her, of course, and he would fight for her, and for his family, to the fullest extent of his being. And there was still so much he could offer her, if she would allow it.

He had written letters, every day, to anyone who might know of her whereabouts. He had tried to be discreet, but he knew he had thoroughly shocked not only his sisters but all his relations: Lady Delilah and Lady Madge, and his more distant relatives in France, and the Sisters, naturally. His sister and Lord Plutarch had tried to comfort him but in the end they could do nothing to assauge his grief. And so he had lived like a half-dead man, hoping against hope for his wife's return. And even now, he could scarcely believe it. He was like a man who has been given a new lease on life.


	92. THE MUCH-NEEDED TALK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss and Peeta talk.
> 
> I am not sure if this scenario for Katniss's disappearance is plausible, I just made it up as I went along. Of course Peeta would have found out eventually, but the talk needed to happen as soon as possible, so I decided to just lay it out here.
> 
> In this episode: Katniss, Peeta, a servant, and at the very end: Daniel and Lady Laurentia (Peeta's mother -- I kept calling her Lady Laetitia, my bad -- thanks to Loueze for pointing out the error)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have been adding to this chapter, in bits and pieces. It takes me a while to sign off on a chapter, even after it's posted. I really want to build up the texture of this world.
> 
> I've been wanting to bring in Lady Laurentia for so long! Finally got to add her in here. It's a bit of a cliff-y.

When Peeta entered the bedroom, he saw that Katniss was sitting up. "How are you feeling?" he asked, coming closer.

She gave him a half-hearted smile. "I am still a little tired," she said.

Peeta looked at the small table next to the bed and saw there the remains of Katniss's breakfast on a silver tray. "You have not eaten very much," he said. "You haven't even touched the scone."

"I do not have much of an appetite," Katniss said. "I did eat the strawberries."

Peeta frowned. He felt the touch of Katniss's hand on his arm and looked up.

"I tried very hard to remain angry at you, Peeta," Katniss said softly. He nodded, and linked one hand with hers. With the other, he stroked her hair. "In the first few days, it was easy. But as time passed, I knew I could not manage it."

"But -- where did you go? I thought surely you would have gone straight back to the Sisters," Peeta said.

"I knew that was the first place you would look," Katniss said. "And I did not want to be found. Not until I had time to think. So I went to Bath."

"To Bath!" Peeta exclaimed. He had never taken her there. He had wanted to, but time always seemed very short, and what with her having William Daniel, and then the London seasons, and now the second pregnancy, they had kept to the country, and been happy with the domestic solitude.

"Yes, I know not how I came to the decision, but once I made up my mind to go there, I knew it would not arouse much suspicion: noble ladies are constantly coming and going from Bath. And your sister had mentioned it, and I knew that Lady Anne had -- I knew she went there just before . . . " Katniss's voice trembled.

"Our arrival was fairly unobtrusive. There were other noblewomen there, unaccompanied by their husbands. I was told that it is not uncommon for married women to frequent Bath for a change of scenery. And there were a number of establishments only too willing to let a house to a noblewoman, especially to Lady Mellark." Katniss paused. She clutched Peeta's hand now with both of her own. "And so I took Daniel, and his governess, and my maid, and did not tell them that I intended to stay for a while. They thought it was a trip we had both decided upon, and I was able to . . . " Tears began to roll down her cheeks. "But I was soon miserable, and so was Daniel, and so was Leevy, and then I could not rouse myself even to take a promenade, or to visit the Roman baths, or to do anything. And Clara --" Katniss's maid -- "kept asking if you would be joining us, and eventually she stopped asking, and I felt so alone . . . "

Peeta's heart sank. In his mind, he saw them, his family, living miserably in the house Katniss managed to rent. And it was all, he thought, because of him. Because he had not taken adequate care, had been thoughtless and weak.

"Eventually, Clara kept asking if I was well. I had no appetite, and she wanted to call a doctor but I refused. I missed you, so much!"

Peeta wrapped his arms around his wife. "I cannot bear the thought of you going through such -- such difficulties because of me," he said. "If you cannot bear the sight of me, I will understand. But you must allow me to help you, to find a proper house for you and for Daniel, and for servants. You must allow me to take care of you, even if you do not love me . . . "

That was all either managed to say, for a long time. Katniss was wracked with sobs, and Peeta held her as gently as he could.

Eventually, Katniss asked, "Are you very disappointed in me, Peeta?"

"Wife," Peeta said, "My dearest, dearest wife, you are the love of my life. You could never disappoint me. Rather, I disappoint myself."

And the two clung to each other, the way drowning men clutch at a raft, and that was how Katniss's maid found them, when she came up to inquire if Katniss would like a meal brought up.

"Just some soup," Katniss murmured.

Peeta shook his head. "That will not do," he said. He told the servant, "Bring sandwiches, a pot of tea, cream, sugar. Tell the cook to fill a tray. I shall dine here as well."

When the servant had nodded and left, Peeta looked down at Katniss. "I need to ask you something," he said softly. Katniss looked up at him and nodded. "Do you still love me? Because I love you as much as I have ever done -- no, more. I feel I can bear anything -- yes, slay dragons, if need be. But I must have the truth from you. Do you still love me?"

Katniss buried her head against Peeta's chest. For a few moments, she did not speak. When she looked up again, there was fire in her eyes, fire Peeta had not seen for a while. He tightened his embrace. "Yes," she said, "Peeta, I love you. I never stopped loving you."

*     *     *     *     *

Peeta stayed with Katniss until early evening, when he decided to go in search of Daniel. He first went down the hall to the boy's room, but saw it was empty and descended the stairs. He heard voices coming from the parlor, one of which was unmistakably the voice of his son. But the other voice --

Peeta pushed the door open. There, sitting before the fire, was his mother. Daniel was on her lap, prattling cheerfully away.

"Mother!" Peeta burst out. "When did you arrive?"

His mother looked up and met her son's gaze, her eyes of a much gentler blue than either of her children's. "A few hours ago," she said.

"No one told me!" Peeta burst out. "I should have come down immediately."

"You were with your wife, Peeta," his mother said. "I instructed the servants not to disturb you. Not on any account. And how is she?"

"She is -- well," Peeta said.

His mother shook her head. "Ah, Peeta. You have become a terrible liar. At least, since your marriage. For which I am very grateful."

Peeta gazed at her in some bemusement. Lady Laurentia looked at Daniel. "Go, play by yourself for a little, and I shall come to your room directly." Daniel nodded, slid off her lap, and walked out, not before pausing to give his father's hand a tug.

"He listens, now," Lady Laurentia said, as soon as Daniel had left the room. "What do you mean to do about -- her."

"She is my wife. I shall protect -- "

"Not Katniss," his mother cut in. "I meant, _her_."

Peeta's face darkened, but he said nothing.

"Katniss is a remarkable woman, Peeta," his mother said. "I know you know that. I trust you will not fail her."

Peeta squared his shoulders and faced his mother. "I shall not."

His mother nodded. "How is Katniss?" she said, in a softer tone.

"She is -- thin as could be," Peeta said. "She has no appetite."

"She is sick!" his mother said, rising quickly. "She must be in hospital!"

"No!" Peeta said. "I shall take care of her. Here."

"But, Peeta!" his mother said, shocked. "You cannot! You are no doctor! How can you -- "

"I shall take care of her, mother. I shall spend every waking moment, as much as I can, by her side. If you will excuse me, I must return to my wife." With that, Peeta hurriedly left the room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope Lady Laurentia isn't getting too snippy. She's suffered through Peeta, just as Katniss has.


	93. A VISIT FROM LADY DELILAH (AND SOME OTHERS)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this episode: Katniss, Peeta, Daniel, Lady Delilah, Lady Laurentia, Prim, and Lord Peeta's tenants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind me; I'm just bumbling around.
> 
> Lady Delilah is Peeta's cousin, and she lives quite a way off, that's why she doesn't visit very frequently. She's an ally of Katniss's. In an earlier chapter, she fought off Lady Clove (during a ball)

The latter part of spring was wet. Peeta was glad for it. Perhaps it made Katniss feel her confinement less.

No one brought up London, not even Lady Laurentia.

Prim came frequently. During Katniss's last month, Prim came with James and promised not to leave until Peeta's second child was born.

Peeta kept to his promise: he was at Katniss's side almost the entire day. Unless she was sleeping: then he would slip out to supervise his tenants, or go to the village, or play with his son. When Katniss was awake, he read to her. He ran to the library and fetched new books for her to read.

Lady Laurentia visited Katniss at least once a day. The two women never spoke of the sadness of the past. Lady Laurentia spoke of the coming child, and what she imagined for the new member of the family.

Gradually, Katniss's strength returned. Her mood lifted.

One day, about a month before Katniss was due to deliver, Lady Delilah paid a visit. She had given them plenty of warning, sending Peeta a note a week before. Yet he worried overmuch about this reminder of London society. For the occasion of their last meeting was the ball where Lady Delilah had fought with Lady Clove.

Yet, on the day of Lady Delilah's visit, Katniss was dressed and ready for her. She even insisted that Peeta help her to the parlor, where she insisted on meeting with the visitor.

She called her maid to braid her hair, and Peeta watched, his heart doing a strange dance in his chest. She donned a loose dress (for her stomach was great and round now), one in a vivid green color that brightened her whole appearance.

When Lady Delilah was ushered into the parlor, she seemed to be struck speechless for several moments. "Katniss!" she said. "I had no idea you were so -- close to delivering. I hope my visit was not an intrusion . . . "

"Nonsense!" Katniss said. "Lady Laurentia -- " that lady was also present in the parlor -- "and I have talked of nothing else since you sent Peeta your note."

"You are looking so well, my dear!" Lady Delilah gushed. "I have missed you so!"

If Peeta had worried that Lady Delilah would bring up London and balls and gossip, those fears were put to rest. Lady Delilah talked about her children, and about her own laying in, and about how much she longed to have a third child. Lady Laurentia told stories of her own child-rearing experiences, and did not spare Peeta at all in the recounting. It seemed he had been quite a greedy child, always begging for plum pudding and the like, and getting it smeared all over his face, so that he looked a veritable pirate. "He was quite tubby, as a child," Lady Laurentia said, and that had set Katniss laughing, a sound that made everyone in the room smile with happiness, so infectious was it. Daniel came running in, and he was properly introduced, and Lady Delilah pronounced him most handsome.

As soon as Lady Delilah took her leave, Lady Laurentia retired to her room. Peeta went up to Katniss and offered to help her back to the bedroom but she said, "No, Peeta. I should like to take a walk."

"But, you are not strong enough yet -- " he protested.

She scowled at him. "I have had enough of laying in bed. Besides, I am impatient for the child to come. And walking may help it along a little bit."

He still resisted it, until she put a hand up to his cheek and stroked it gently. "Indulge me?" she whispered. "Just this once?"

He sent a maid for a shawl, and once he had tucked it securely around her shoulders, they set off. They walked for half an hour, and Katniss would have liked to walk even farther but Peeta was exceedingly worried and persuaded her they could try again the next day.

That night, as he held his wife in his arms and breathed the fragrance of her hair, Peeta whispered, "Nothing can come between us now, can it?" He hadn't meant it to come out as a question, but in the end, he hadn't been able to keep the note of uncertainty from his voice. He'd thought Katniss was asleep and was not expecting her to answer. She stirred in his arms and he heard her breathe, "No. Nothing."

Two weeks later, Katniss went into labor. It was quicker than the first time. And then Peeta had a second son.

Prim, who, earlier in the day had gone with her son James and Lord Plutarch to visit a friend in York, learned the news upon her return that evening. She hurried to Peeta's bedroom and saw Katniss sitting up in bed, the infant suckling at her breast. The new mother, though tired, glowed with happiness. Peeta sat on the edge of the bed, holding Daniel. Neither of them had heard the door open, so wrapped up were they in their little family. Prim quietly backed away and closed the door.

The next morning, a group of tenants appeared in the kitchen. They had heard of the birth of the new Mellark and had come with gifts for Lady Katniss: Peeta came down to greet them and was overwhelmed at observing the fondness these common folk felt for his wife. Not even Lady Laurentia had been at the receiving end of such loyalty, not from the villagers who she had known her whole life. The gifts were simple: homespun caps, knitted booties, small jars of homemade preserves. Peeta accepted these with profuse thanks, and determined that, before the month was out, he would throw his tenants a feast, where they could celebrate the arrival of his child with dancing and as much food and ale as they could hold.


	94. KATNISS WRITES TO PRIM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date of the letter: July 1. Peeta and Katniss's son was born at the end of May. He was named Edward Grey (The older boy is William Daniel, who everyone calls Daniel)

Dearest Sister of My Heart,

It is the first of July. We have had a succession of very hot days. There is a wren singing most noticeably by my window (Peeta still insists I keep to my bed; he is being quite tiresome. Once I thought it a blessing to have him so solicituous. But now I do so long to be outside)

The infant, Edward Grey, is very fine. He has a lusty yell. Lady Laurentia says it is quite as Peeta used to do, when he himself was an infant. I have been so happy, but very tired, too. Today, when I awoke, I realized Peeta was not at my side, and then my heart began to beat very rapidly. For a moment, I thought he had gone. Flown. Flown to where? In my half-dreaming state, I imagined he had returned to France -- with her!

But in the next moment, Peeta entered the room. He saw the agitation on my face and immediately approached the bed. His face grew all pale, and with his right hand he insisted on feeling my forehead for a fever. I assured him I was quite all right, I had just been a little disoriented. Then I inquired where Edward was, for when I had fallen asleep, the babe was in my arms. Peeta at that appeared somewhat shamefaced. He said he had taken Edward from my arms and given him to the governess, so that I might sleep longer and more peacefully. Then I reproached him, and told him that as punishment I would like him to take me out of doors. I told your brother, do you remember how we used to spend the whole day, till sunset, how we would walk in the meadow -- and at this, both his and my faces flamed with heat, for we first pledged our love to each other in the meadow --

Before I could get very far with this reminiscence, the governess returned with Edward in her arms, newly bathed. And I stretched my arms wide for my son; and he smelled so sweet, so sweet. And I rocked him gently and sang to him of meadows and flycatchers and nestlings, and when I happened to glance up at Peeta, there were tears in his eyes. I stopped singing, but Peeta took my hand and urged me to continue. "Your voice," he told me, "is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard."

Do return soon for another visit. I know you have mentioned October, but that is too far away! Why not August? It will still be summer, and we shall spend our nights outdoors. There is still water in the pool -- shallow, but enough for your James and my Daniel to swim in. And Peeta and Plutarch may fish to their hearts' content, while you and I make happy memories.

Always,

Katniss

*     *     *     *

A few days after Katniss sent the letter to Prim, Peeta did take her and the boys (and the governess, Leevy, as well as Edward's nursemaid, a young woman named Rue) out, finally, on a picnic. Katniss stared at everything -- trees and fields and hedges -- as if with new eyes. And Peeta stared at his wife and thought he had never seen anything so lovely. Not even the infant held tightly in her arms could distract him from looking at his wife's face.

That night, he and Katniss lay together, the first time since she delivered, and he was very gentle. His kisses fell like nurturing rain -- on her lips, her ears, her breasts. She moaned with pleasure into his neck and he could tell from the pressure of her nails on his back that she was urging him to be a little more forceful, but he would not give in to her. He loved her too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Easing back into this universe and just taking it slow.


	95. A WALK TO THE VILLAGE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss and Peeta have what turns out to be a pretty significant conversation. But it's not about what you might expect.

At the end of July, Peeta and Katniss take a walk to the village. There is a church there, very old (not the family chapel, a much older church, that had been there since 1617). Peeta has been to the village quite frequently, but it is Katniss's first walk to the village since her confinement, months earlier.

"Look, Peeta!" Katniss says, pointing.

Peeta follows his wife's pointing finger. Sure enough, right under one of the eaves of the church, are a pair of nesting white owls.

His heart stops. How is it that his wife can do that to him, always? Show him a world that has been there all along but went unnoticed by his distracted eyes and mind.

"Katniss," Peeta says, squeezing her free hand.

"My grandmother hated them," Katniss says. "They hoot and hiss tremendously. Oh, you should hear them." Then her face falls.

"What is it?" Peeta asks.

"I am remembering -- " Katniss says. "My grandmother. I miss her so. She was all I had in the world."

"Katniss," Peeta pulls his wife's hand until she stops walking. "Look at me."

She turns her face to him.

"You are not alone, I promise. You will never be alone. You have me, and Daniel, and Edward. And Prim. And Plutarch. You have a family. WE are your family."

"Yes, Peeta, I know," Katniss says, smiling. Then she continues, hesitantly, "I have been thinking, more and more lately, of my father."

"Your father -- " Peeta says. "He went to India when you were little."

"Yes," Katniss says, her face solemn. "We stopped hearing from him many years ago. But, no one knows what happened to him. And I -- I need to know. If he is alive somewhere, he needs to know that he has grandchildren: Daniel and Edward."

"Yes," Peeta says. What a fool he was for not thinking about this sooner.

"I was wondering if Finnick -- "

"Yes," Peeta says.

They continue their walk, but in silence. Peeta hates that a cloud seems to have settled over his wife's features. Just then, a little girl comes running up to them. Peeta doesn't recognize her, but then, he hardly knows the names of many of the children of the estate's laborers. The girls thrusts a fistful of white flowers -- daisies -- at Katniss. "My lady," the girl says, and curtsies. Katniss's face is instantly alight with affection and amusement. She laughs and thanks the girl. Then, unexpectedly, she plants a kiss on the top of the girl's head. The girl gasps and looks up at Katniss as if she is looking upon an angel.


	96. A SUMMER PICNIC FOLLOWED BY A CHAT IN THE PARLOR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> August: Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch are visiting Katniss and Peeta. They have a picnic by the pond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been adding, little by little, to this chapter. Especially towards the end, the conversation Peeta has with Lord Plutarch.

It was a summer afternoon in August. Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch, with their son James, had come to spend a week with Katniss, Peeta, and their two sons Daniel and Edward. They were having a picnic by the pond. While their governesses watched, the two older boys splashed in the water. Prim and Lord Plutarch and Katniss, holding Edward, sat on the soft grass and chatted about everything that had occurred since their last meeting, in June. Peeta had brought along his watercolours and was doing a quick painting of the tableaux.

Peeta was happy. Very happy. He would have been happier still if his mother had been able to join them, but she said the walk to the pond would tire her. Peeta had offered to have his coachman take her, but she glared and said simply, "Peeta, that will not do. Then everyone will worry and wonder if I am sick. No, I shall stay in my room and read a book and write a few letters."

A sudden wind sprang up, bringing with it a few droplets of rain. He heard Prim give a slight squeal, "Ooh! We must be heading back! It will not do for the baby!" She was referring, of course, to Edward.

Peeta had already risen from his easel and begun walking to Katniss. "Let me take him," Peeta said, reaching down for Edward.

"No," Katniss said, hanging on to the infant. "You and Plutarch get James and Daniel."

Peeta noticed that his wife was much more reluctant to have anyone other than herself carry Edward, though she had not been that way with Daniel, the oldest. Edward, it was clear to Peeta, had a special significance in his mother's heart. Perhaps because the marriage had almost come apart while she was carrying him.

Peeta did not think it worth arguing with Katniss on this issue. He immediately went to call the boys, who of course protested and declared that it would stop raining in a trice.

"We are going back to the house. At once," Peeta said in his firmest voice.

After they were all back at the house, and had rested for a few hours, the group gathered in the parlor. The children, all except for Edward, had been taken off by their governesses.

Edward lay in Katniss's arms. She and her sister-in-law sat on the couch closest to the fire (still necessary in summer, for the rooms were a bit damp. At least, Peeta declared they were too damp for the baby)

Peeta and Lord Plutarch stood by the window, looking out at the grounds.

"So, Peeta," Lord Plutarch said, nursing an aperitif, "you seem quite happy. I dare say that bad business with --ahem! -- has been taken care of."

"No," Peeta said, never taking his eyes off Katniss.

Lord Plutarch's eyebrows rose. "Well, let us hope she causes you no further trouble."

"I would gladly pay her a hundred thousand pounds a year if I thought it would mean she would leave me alone." Peeta closed his eyes briefly.

Would money do it? Or would it only be the beginning of another hell?

When he turned his gaze on Lord Plutarch once more, the other man was staring down at his glass. His face was very hard to read, at that moment.

"She should leave you alone, by God!" Lord Plutarch finally muttered.

"There is something I have been meaning to ask you," Peeta said.

Lord Plutarch looked at him intently and nodded. "Speak," Lord Plutarch said.

"It is about Katniss's father," Peeta said. "She has been wondering about him. As you know, the last she heard from him was many years ago."

"Did he not disappear in India?" Lord Plutarch said.

"Yes. He was a colonel in the British Army. Her last letter from him was when she not even 10 years. It was sent from Amritsar."

Lord Plutarch frowned. There had been a Sikh rebellion. Many British soldiers had died before it was eventually suppressed. "Could he have been killed during the rebellion?" Lord Plutarch said.

"That is what everyone assumed," Peeta said. "But Katniss would like to be certain."

"I see," Lord Plutarch said thoughtfully. "It will be difficult, especially at this distance in time."

"I am aware of the difficulties," Peeta said. "But if there is anything you can do."

"I will put out inquiries," Lord Plutarch said. "Anything for her, Peeta. God knows, she deserves to have some answers."

"Thank you, Plutarch," Peeta said, reaching out and squeezing his brother-in-law's shoulder. "I know I can always count on you."

"And, if I may, about the other matter -- " Plutarch said.

Peeta stiffened.

"You cannot afford to let it rest, you must put an end to it," Plutarch said. "Enough of this letting her make a puppet of you. You have two children now, man. _Do not_ , I say, let her make a puppet out of you." Lord Plutarch paused. "Ah, but she is a worthy opponent."

Peeta stared at Lord Plutarch.

"Your wife."

"She does not fight my battles for me," Peeta said.

"Good," Lord Plutarch said. "Very good."

A servant appeared to announce dinner was ready. Peeta went immediately to his wife's side. Seeing the expression on Peeta's face as he gazed down at Katniss and his new son, who could not help but be moved? Lord Plutarch shook himself out of his thoughts and went forward to offer his arm to Prim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Lord Plutarch clearly has great respect for Katniss.


	97. THOUGHTS, LATE AT NIGHT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm having fun writing this Peeta, despite everything.

Peeta sat alone in his study. It was just off the bedroom, and therefore he could hear if Katniss called for him, or if her sleep was restless.

Lately, she had seemed tranquil. But he wanted to be close, just in case. He could never forget how close he came to losing her. In fact, to losing everything.

His sister and Lord Plutarch had returned to their estate. Peeta cared deeply for his brother-in-law, but their last conversation had affected him greatly: _Do not let her make a puppet out of you_.

At first, he had been deeply offended. Peeta was no one's puppet, least of all HERS! He could not get the words out of his mind, however, which meant there was at least a kernel of truth in what Lord Plutarch had said. And Peeta had sworn to never more run from his problems, to confront them square. In this he took example from his wife, who was the bravest woman Peeta had ever met. Alone in the world, she had never hesitated when she thought it would be best to remove herself from his presence. It had cut him to the quick, that she felt better able to rely on herself than on him. He, who had sworn to do everything in his power to protect her!

He knew what obstacles Katniss had faced in her growing up: the loneliness, the condescension of the upper classes. He had thought to rescue her from all that when he married her. To his dismay and chagrin, marriage to him had not shielded her from heartache. In fact, in a bitter twist of fate, he seems to have been the cause of much of her sadness.

And she had given him so much! A love the like he had never known, a love he sometimes felt he did not deserve. She had given him sons! She had surrounded him with her dignity, her kindness, her unwavering loyalty.

He thought again of -- HER. The Lady he preferred never to name.

She was still in London (Peeta had not been quite as unaware of her presence as he liked to think). While her husband traveled to this or that European capital, she entertained in grand manner, in her newly purchased Mayfair townhome. She was the toast of London. Men -- married and unmarried -- behaved like lapdogs at her feet. Peeta shuddered to think of ever returning to such a vapid society.

He wondered why she still bothered with him -- she, who could have any man her heart desired. Why could she not leave him in peace, occupy herself with some other nobleman, forget his very existence?

He had heard of this or that Earl or Marquis who had gifted her with diamond baubles, much to the chagrin of his family. All the dowagers of London society were appalled at her behavior, and yet she continued to move about, as if untouched by the commotion.

There was also a rumour Peeta had heard -- that the Lord Balmoral swung towards members of his own sex. That he much preferred the company of young men. And therefore was not at all aggrieved or affronted by his wife's behavior.

Peeta clenched his fists. He must find a way to end the Lady's London sojourn. He must! Unless he did, he would never be free, he could never be a settled family man. And Katniss had suffered too much already.

Peeta doused the lamps in his study and disrobed, as quietly as he could, next to the bed. Then, carefully, he slipped under the covers and wrapped an arm protectively around his sleeping wife. She stirred a little but he whispered, Hush, and softly kissed her cheek, and she soon fell back asleep.

Sleep did not come as easily to Peeta, however. His mind moved restlessly from thought to thought. Finally, just as he seemed finally on the edge of sleep, a name from the past lodged in his mind: FINNICK.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, the rumors about Lord Balmoral will explain SOME things, like why he puts up with his wife's philandering.


	98. PEETA AND LORD PLUTARCH DISCUSS MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE

It is a beautiful afternoon in mid-October. The heat of summer is gone, but it is still pleasantly light out, for most of the day. Lady Prim, Lord Plutarch, and their son James are spending the weekend with Katniss.

"How do you fare, my dear?" Prim asks her sister-in-law, who is, with the exception of her son James, the person Prim loves most in all the world, more even than she loves her brother. Prim places her small, gloved hand over Katniss's as she speaks.

"I am most well, dear sister," Katniss says. The infant Edward is in her lap, and the governess a few yards away, with Daniel and James. "I have never been happier."

"I am so glad to hear it," Prim says. "And you and Peeta are -- ?"

"I am content," Katniss says. "My husband is kind, and attentive, and generous. I could not have asked for a better husband."

"That is wonderful!" Prim exclaims. She is silent a few moments. "You may have heard from Peeta that Plutarch and I are going to London for a few weeks . . . "

Katniss's face falls. "Yes," she says, softly. "I have heard. I will miss you exceedingly. Do not, I pray, tarry too long."

"Oh, we shall not, dear Katniss," Prim says. "Never fear. I cannot bear too much of London society."

Katniss's face falls even further, but she says nothing.

Prim says, "And if I happen to encounter that horrible woman, if she is out walking in St. James or Regent's, I shall order my coachman to run her down in a trice!"

Katniss smiles. "That is very dear of you, sister!" she says.

"And in the meantime," Prim says, "I would urge you to put her out of your mind, as much as you are able. Now, can I get you anything in London?"

"More books, perhaps?" Katniss says.

"Books! That is easily done. Now, let us walk again for a bit. I hear Peeta is adding to the chapel? I would love to see the changes."

Daniel and James come running up just then. "Mama!" Daniel cries. "James says he hates fennel pie. And that is my favorite. You decide: which is better, to hate fennel pie, or to love it?"

Both Katniss and Prim laugh.

* * *

Lord Plutarch and Peeta sit by the fire in the drawing room. A servant brings them sherry. Before dismissing the servant, Peeta asks, "Do you know where Lady Katniss and Lady Prim have gone this afternoon?"

"To the chapel, my Lord," the servant says.

"Yes, my wife did mention that she very much wanted to see the new mural you are painting for it," Lord Plutarch says.

"I am adding Edward's likeness to the family mural," Peeta says, happily.

While they nurse their drinks, Lord Plutarch gives Peeta an appraising glance.

"So," Peeta says, shifting uncomfortably in his armchair. "You wished to speak to me about -- something."

"Yes," Lord Plutarch says, clearing his throat. "First things first. I have sent off a letter to Lord Finnick in Dharamsala, giving all the facts about Katniss's father that she told me, and asking him if he could make enquiry in the regiment as to his fate."

Peeta smiles gratefully. "That is wonderful. Thank you, Plutarch. Katniss has wanted to pursue this for a very long time."

"And she should have an answer, my God!" Lord Plutarch says, vehemently.

His tone quite startles Peeta. But all Peeta says is, "Katniss deserves the best. And -- I am not that."

"Fie, fie, man!" Lord Plutarch says. "Thou art the best. For her. She wants no one else but you. Therefore, you are the best. Now, as to this other matter, I have visited the woman. Offered her a contract."

"For how much?" Peeta asks.

"Well, a very, very generous sum. Far more than the trollop deserves. For that amount, she can buy herself the finest set of carriage and horses in all of England. No, two sets of carriages and horses."

"And will she accept it, do you think?" Peeta asks.

"We shall see. It is a small fortune. But she has a black heart, as you well know. And is entirely without shame. It may be her intention to bankrupt you, Peeta."


	99. SHOCKING NEWS FROM LONDON

Lady Prim has scarcely left for London when Katniss receives a hurried note:

> **Shocking news, but Lord Balmoral is dead suddenly; there is great consternation in Buckingham, and a buzz that the SHE-DEVIL has thrown out the word 'murder.' There is a rumor that he shot himself. How true all of this is, I do not know. At least, I have just heard it, and the death is not yet officially announced in the newspapers.**
> 
> **I should hurry back to you, my dear Katniss, at the first opportunity. It is too distressing here in London. If it were not for Lord Plutarch, and my reluctance to leave him alone in London too long, I would leave tomorrow. As it is, I will remain a week longer, and no more.**
> 
> **I have not been out at all. I detest gossip, and it has seized London like a hurricane.**
> 
> **I shall see you soon, dear Katniss.**

Katniss lets Lady Prim's letter fall to the ground. She stands, very pale. Peeta, who is sitting across from her, gets up immediately and goes to her.

"Katniss!" he says, grasping her firmly by the shoulders. "What is the matter?" She sags against him, gesturing weakly to the letter she has let fall.

"Tell me," Peeta says, reluctant to let go of her.

She shakes her head. Peeta shouts for a servant. They assist him in bringing Katniss to her room. Peeta then remains by her side the rest of the night, forgetting completely about the letter on the floor of the library.

Early the next morning, a maid brings it to him, on a silver tray. Peeta takes the letter and reads the contents. He feels as if he is dreaming. Lord Balmoral . . . dead? How can that be? The man was in his early forties. And fit!

He throws a quick glance at Katniss, who is still asleep. Then, he moves to his study, picks up his quill, and dashes off a quick message for his sister.

He summons his footman. "Make haste to London with this," Peeta says. "It is for Lady Prim and Lord Plutarch's perusal only. Do I make myself clear?"

The footman rushes off. In a few minutes, Peeta, watching from his bedroom window, sees a horse and rider gallop madly in the direction of the village.

"The devil take her!" Peeta mutters. "I know she had a hand in it. I know!"

*     *     *

Lord Plutarch to Peeta:

> **My Dear Peeta,**
> 
> **I could scarcely believe the news myself. I never thought it would end up so. That Lord Balmoral should die, less than a year after assuming his post, and in SUCH A MANNER, is quite beyond belief.**
> 
> **Your sister will bear you this letter. I must tarry in London awhile, though it pains me to be parted long from my wife. It is a most disagreeable situation. But, well, I will do my best by you, my God! I wish I had power to tell the future. As of now, things are most unsettled.**
> 
> **I will write again as soon as I glean more information.**
> 
> **I have not had time to pursue investigation on the other matter, as regards Lady Katniss's father. If I should just get over the distraction of dealing with ______ !**
> 
> **More soon,**
> 
> **Plutarch**

*     *     *

Peeta is in the middle of penning a reply to Lord Plutarch when he hears his name called. He looks up. It is his sister, standing at the door to his study.

"Peeta!" Lady Prim says. "Katniss and the children and I shall be in the drawing room."

Peeta gets up at once and hugs his sister. "Thank you," he whispers to her. "Thank you so much, for all that you and  Plutarch have done for Katniss and for myself."

Prim hugs him back, fiercely. "It is nothing, Peeta. I wish I could do more."

"No!" Peeta says firmly. "This is my problem, and mine to resolve.

"It is not yours alone," Prim says. "Never think that." She hesitates. "I did -- encounter -- the, you know, the DEVIL WOMAN. She was with her set, and I was with our cousin Delilah. She was dressed in widow's weeds and it was all I could do not to spit at her."

Peeta scowls. Before he can speak, Prim charges forth with, "Lord Plutarch and I were discussing between ourselves and he came up with this suggestion -- it is only a suggestion, dear brother, please do not think it very forward of us -- that you should take Katniss on holiday, somewhere warm, where you and she can rest. This matter will not be ended soon, I am sorry to say, and in the meantime, it will do both of you little good to be consumed with worry. I am happy to take Edward and Daniel for several weeks. Do promise me you will consider it, brother."


	100. THE WIDOW

Lady Chiveley played the part of a grieving widow to perfection. There was a state funeral, to which the King and the Prince of Wales lent their presence, and everything was quite magnificent. No aspersions were cast on Lady Chiveley's character, and she went about in the serene knowledge that she was blameless.

She had not been the one who found the cold, lifeless body of her husband. Luckily, he had been off with his current plaything, at the separate lodgings he had secured for his trysts, on Bow Street. She had known of her husband's predilections before the marriage. She had asked only that he be discreet. She did not much care, to tell the truth, that someone had killed him. Especially since now she was the sole beneficiary of all Lord Balmoral's wealth.

If Lord Peeta thought that her new financial status would lead her to abandon her pursuit of him (because, there was no question in her mind that it WAS a pursuit), he was sadly mistaken.

Lady Chiveley did admire Lord Peeta, she did. That he truly loved his wife, Lady Katniss, she never doubted. This did not stop her from wanting him. To coarse-minded women like her, a virtuous man (whether married or no) piqued her interest, presented as more of a challenge. Not like the usual puppy-dog lords (who were, to tell the truth, rather thick) who followed her about, who wrote (bad) poetry about her physical charms, who followed her about the more she abused them, who bawled at her door when she turned them away . . .

She knew she would have to play it down, after Lord Balmoral's (extremely inconvenient) death. Her current lover had the bad judgment to show up at her townhouse in Mayfair, only days after Lord Balmoral's funeral. She had turned him away, of course, with a torrent of abuse. But it did no good: the besotted man showed up the next day, and the next, and the next. She could not, however, admit him, especially not under the circumstances. She could not even be seen to treat with him. He was handsome, stood to inherit a large dukedom in the south of England, but alas, she had to break it off. He was too, too stupid.

She had not been responsible for the death of her husband, but she WAS responsible for planting the rumor that he had been murdered.

She had entertained visits only from women, women such as Lady Clove. Though Lady Clove was a deadly bore: she was not at all witty, and her purposes were rather obvious, behaving as if she and Lady Chiveley were the best of friends, when what she really sought was to avail of some of the backwash from Lady Chiveley's brilliant social engagements.

She had made a play herself for Lord Peeta, at some time in the past. Oh, she had even boasted about it. Lady Chiveley only smiled, listening to Lady Clove's fabulations. Lady Chiveley knew that Peeta was not that easy -- not, at any rate, as easy as Lady Clove made him appear.

In the meantime, she bided her time and busied herself with commissioning a proper memorial to her dear departed husband's memory. He was entombed in the family mausoleum, a behemoth of marble. But, in addition, Lady Chiveley wished to make a memorial of her own, something fittingly grand.

She was in the middle of a reverie when a visitor was announced. "Who is it?" Lady Chiveley asked peevishly.

"My Lady Clove," the servant replied.

"Vile woman!" Lady Chiveley burst out. "Send her away."

The servant bowed discreetly (though he felt his ears burning from the all-too-frank exclamations that tended to burst forth from his mistress's mouth) and left the room, girding for battle with the other lady, who he knew would insist, and argue, and make an unpleasant scene.


	101. HIGH TEA NEAR ST. JAMES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Lady Clove, Lady Glimmer, Lord Plutarch and Lady Chiveley

Lady Clove and Lady Glimmer are having tea somewere near Hyde Park when Lady Chiveley rides by in a very fine-looking black phaeton.

"There she goes," Lady Clove sneers. "The witch!"

"She has a remarkabe set of ponies," Lady Glimmer remarks.

When Lady Clove throws her a malevolent look, Lady Glimmer says, in a low whisper, "Do you think it is true, that she had something to do with her husband's death?"

"Oh, posh!" Lady Clove says. "Of course it's not true. She isn't that stupid."

"But she could have been motivated by money. Lord Balmoral was very wealthy, and he had no children."

The two ladies are silent for a few momens.

"Life must be very dull for her at the moment," Lady Glimmer finally says.

"Why dull?" Lady Clove says. "Anyone as wealthy as she can do as she likes."

"But not right away," Lady Glimmer says. "She must stay at home, for at least a year. Not attend as many card parties, or the theater. That is what I meant."

"She will do as she pleases," Lady Clove says. "She has ever done so, and suffered not a bit because of it. Now, as to Lady Katniss -- "

Lady Glimmer looks at Lady Clove, surprised. But Lady Clove seems to have come to the end of her pronouncements and sips her tea with downcast eyes.

"She's very handsome," Lady Glimmer says.

"Hmmm," Lady Clove says.

"She has a handsome colour," Lady Glimmer presses.

"Oh, fie!" Lady Clove says. "It is unnatural. I have seen it come and go."

"What do you mean?" Lady Glimmer says.

"Dear, why are you so very slow this morning?" Lady Clove says. "I dare say it comes off at night, and goes on again in the morning."

"Truly?" Lady Glimmer says. "But why would she do that?"

"I am not certain, but it seems to be worth the trouble. She has Lord Peeta, after all."

"Her lips are too thin," Lady Glimmer says.

"How do you do, Ladies?" Lord Plutarch says, suddenly, from the next table.

Both ladies give a start. "Lord Plutarch! Is it you? What are you doing here?"

"Having tea, my ladies!" Lord Plutarch says, with a smirk.

"Much as we would love to stay and converse, Lord Plutarch, Lady Glimmer and I have a pressing appointment -- "

"Oh, by all means! Good day!" Lord Plutarch says, turning ostentatiously back to his tea and shortcake.

After the two ladies had left the teashop, Lord Plutarch went back to perusing Peeta's letter. He missed Lady Prim and his son James very much and was hoping to settle the business with Lady Chiveley quickly so that he could leave London and rejoin his family at the first opportunity.

*     *     *

"My dear Jacqueline!" Lady Clove gushes. She had sent Lady Chiveley a note saying she had just bumped into Lord Peeta's brother-in-law, Lord Plutarch, at a teashop near St. James.

Lady Clove had ended her note coyly with, "Perhaps Lord Peeta is in town?"

Lady Chiveley decided to pay Lady Clove a courtesy visit.

She was shown into Lady Clove's parlor. Lady Clove was dressed in a sumptuous grey silk, while Lady Chiveley was still wearing widow's weeds. Lady Clove sniffed sympathetically at the sight of her.

"How are you holding up, my dear? This must all be so trying!" Lady Clove says.

"I am doing my best," Lady Chiveley replies. "What cannot be helped must be endured. What was this about Lord Peeta being in town?"

"Oh, yes, the heart of the matter!" Lady Clove titters. "It was not Lord Peeta I saw. It was Lord Plutarch."

"And he indicated Lord Peeta was in town?"

"No, he did not!" Lady Clove beams. "It was just Lord Plutarch."

Lady Chiveley tries not to grit her teeth. "But I thought your note said -- "

"Oh, my dear! Please. I would not jump to conclusions. Lord Plutarch was in a teashop by Saint James."

"I see," Lady Chiveley says, realizing that her whole errand has been a waste of time. "He did not mention Lord Peeta?"

"Oh, no, no, no. What a misunderstanding! Next I see Lord Plutarch, I shall say you are inquiring after his brother-in-law."

"Please do not trouble yourself on my account," Lady Chiveley says hastily. She had in mind the offer he had delivered to her townhouse, just weeks before Lord Balmoral's passing. She had not yet given him an answer. She wished to delay until she could give her answer directly to Lord Peeta.

"Well, Lord Peeta must be enjoying the country exceedingly!" Lady Clove says. "Who would have thought that he would find the life of a country gentleman so appealing!"


	102. PEETA IN LONDON

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Peeta, Katniss (if you squint), and Lord Plutarch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peeta is forced to come to London. Plutarch makes another suggestion. It's at the very end of the chapter. 
> 
> I added a bit more (just a few sentences) about Plutarch's plan.

Peeta was reading the latest missive from Lord Plutarch, who was still in London.

> **Dear Brother,**
> 
> **You must come down. Nothing for it. The lady requests to see you in person before signing any agreement.**

Peeta crumples the letter in his fist. Then he pens a quick message of his own: 

> **This is most painful, but I shall come. Three days hence.**

Peeta goes looking for Katniss. He finds her in the morning room. She is holding the infant Edward, and Daniel is playing with his toys by the window seat.

"Katniss," Peeta says softly. "There is something we need to discuss . . . "

* * *

_Three Days Later:_

"Hello, old chap," Peeta says to Lord Plutarch. He has just arrived from the country; his hair is a mess. He stands in the hallway as a servant divests him of his coat. "When are we meeting with -- HER?"

"The day after tomorrow. I regret this deeply, Peeta."

Peeta throws him a weary glance. "I know. There is no need for you to explain."

"How is my lady Katniss?" Lord Plutarch asks.

Peeta stares at his brother-in-law for a long moment. He replies, hoarsely, "She is fine."

Lord Plutarch nods, deciding to inquire more closely at another time.

"Rest, Peeta. Shall we dine out this evening? My kitchen is under-staffed at the moment."

"At the club?"

"Yes. Unless -- "

"The club is fine," Peeta says. "I must have a bath."

"Certainly, certainly, old chap," Lord Plutarch says. "I will have one poured for you immediately. Is half-past six a good time?"

"Yes," Peeta says dully.

Lord Plutarch can tell that his brother-in-law's thoughts are chaotic.

"Peeta," he says kindly. "If you would prefer I make excuses to the L -- , to HER, I can do that. Perhaps I should."

"No!" Peeta almost shouts. "Where are we meeting her?"

"At her townhouse. In Mayfair," Lord Plutarch says.

"This is a bitter joke," Peeta says. "It has gone too far already."

Lord Plutarch looks at him sharply. "We could sue her, you know. Bring up libel."

Peeta looks at him. "And -- the sketches?"

Lord Plutarch takes him firmly by the elbow and says, "We should discuss this in the parlor." He turns to a servant: "Bring us some sherry."

When they are settled comfortably in the parlor, Lord Plutarch says, "We should pay the L-- I mean, HER, back in kind, Peeta."

Peeta looks at him quizzically. "What are you proposing?"

"She is besmirching your reputation. We should besmirch hers as well. It is only fair. Now, this business about Lord Balmoral's death -- you have heard the rumors, I am sure. I have begun to make discreet enquiries. I will share any information I have with you, Peeta. As of now, I have nothing. But that does not mean there is NOTHING. You understand?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea whether Lord Plutarch's suggestion is even feasible? I'm not a lawyer. Just threw that out there.


	103. A CHANCE MEETING

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peeta, Lord Plutarch, Lady Chiveley, and an uncle of the Departed Lord Balmoral, Lord Sheridan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though Peeta may seem flummoxed by this chance encounter, he recovers his cool by the end of the chapter.

It is a rainy Tuesday night. One would think the Club would be rather sparsely populated, but it is not. When Lord Plutarch and Peeta enter, that evening, it is full and practically sparkling with life and loud conversations.

Lord Plutarch leads Peeta to a quiet table in a corner. They have hardly been seated 10 minutes when a high, feminine voice cuts through the chatter. In that instant, it seems, all the talk in the Club evaporates, and it becomes deadly silent, all attention focused on the three characters in the corner: Lord Plutarch, Peeta, and the Devil Incarnate herself, Lady Chiveley.

"I do declare," says Lady Chiveley. "If it is not my two favorite gentlemen in all the world."

"Madame, if you would," Lord Plutarch says, his face growing quite red (which it never normally does), "Lord Peeta and I are discussing private business."

"Fie, how tiresome," Lady Chiveley says, putting on an expression of mock hurt. "I was only hoping to exchange a few words. I was on my way out, having come with Lord Balmoral's uncle, Lord Sheridan." Lady Chiveley turns, and sure enough, right behind her stands an older gentleman, with long grey whiskers, who eyes Lord Plutarch and Peeta with high disdain.

"Come along, my dear," says Lord Sheridan. "The carriage is waiting."

"A moment, please, Lord Sheridan," Lady Chiveley says. "I have not seen Lord Peeta in quite some time. He and I knew each other in the Continent. Did we not, Lord Peeta?"

Peeta turns pale but manages a stiff little bow to Lady Chiveley. "That is correct, Madame. Allow me to express my deepest condolences for the loss of your husband."

Lady Chiveley has apparently no answer to this. Lord Plutarch coughs discreetly. "And I, too, Lady (cough cough) am deeply saddened by your loss. I am sure it was a great shock. Lord Balmoral seemed quite in the pink of health, when I saw him but a week before he passed."

"Hmm," Lady Chiveley says. "If I could have done anything to prevent it, I would have. He was so dear to me."

"Yes, well," Lord Sheridan says. "My dear Lady, shall we be off? The rain is making things quite disagreeable and I fain must transport you safely home."

"You see how Lord Sheridan looks after my welfare!" Lady Chiveley exclaims, smiling. "Good evening, Lord Plutarch. Lord Peeta."

As soon as Lady Chiveley and Lord Sheridan are out the door, Lord Plutarch heaves a sigh of relief and says,"The devil! What is she doing IN THE CLUB? What a dolt that uncle is!"

Peeta shakes his head at his brother-in-law. Plutarch looks around. Heads turn swiftly, and conversation resumes, though at a lower pitch. As if those present are only half interested in their own conversations.

"This may not have been my best idea, Peeta. I am truly sorry . . . " Lord Plutarch begins.

To his great surprise, Peeta looks much more relaxed than he did when they arrived. "Let us order supper, Plutarch," he says, mustering up a small smile. "I have been too long away from London. There is much I need to re-acquaint myself with."

"Oh, certainly!" Lord Plutarch says. "Yes, of course, we should order." He gestures for a waiter. When the waiter has taken their order, Lord Plutarch lowers his head and hisses, "What are you up to, Peeta? Can you have changed your mind about -- about what we discussed earlier?"

"Not in the least," Peeta says. "Let us continue the discussion here, while smiling at each other as if we are discussing nothing more pressing than the CHARMING AND VIVACIOUS LADY CHIVELEY."

"Oh, er -- " Lord Plutarch says. "I -- "

"Two guineas for your thoughts, Plutarch! Ha, ha, ha! That is quite an entertaining story!" Peeta says, his voice pitched unnaturally loud. He hisses, "Indulge me, Plutarch." Then he sits back and says loudly, "How I adore silliness. I have been too long in the country. Perhaps I shall re-open my townhouse in Kensington."

"Upon my word, Peeta! Have you gone mad?" Lord Plutarch exclaims.

Peeta reaches into his pocket and pulls out a snuff-box. He makes a great show of taking a pinch. "No, Plutarch. No, I have most assuredly NOT GONE MAD."

*     *     *

When they are in the carriage, headed back to Lord Plutarch's townhouse, Peeta ends the rather stilted silence by saying, "Forgive me for being horrid, Plutarch."

Plutarch snorts and continues looking out the window.

"You can't seriously think I -- I am entertaining the idea of re-opening my townhouse?" Peeta says, taken aback.

Lord Plutarch rounds on him. "Well, yes, in fact, from your behavior at the Club, I assumed you were returning to your old ways. And if that happens, I should say I hardly knew you. And I shall break off all contact with you."

Peeta says, "No, Plutarch, I am not going to see -- HER. I've changed my mind. Perhaps you can dangle a little fruit, say I want to meet her at a place less -- conspicuous. She will agree to it. If I know anything about that woman, it is that she likes the thrill of scandal more than she loves life itself. Or, for that matter, money."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trickster Peeta is coming. That is all.


	104. THE PAST OF XXXX & A PAWN SHOP & INSPECTOR QUINN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peeta, Lord Plutarch, and a new character, Inspector Quinn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to add a scene with Peeta after all! It's at the beginning. It touches on his past with xxxxx, sorry. It's not very long, the pain will be over quickly.
> 
> I realize I'm turning Lord Plutarch into a kind of amateur sleuth. A gentleman detective, if you will. 
> 
> I'm changing "Sergeant Quinn" to "Inspector Quinn" after watching RIPPER STREET (which is not Regency era but anyhoo! At least I'm not basing off Law & Order any longer)
> 
> It's getting complicated, bear with me. I'm trying to show how xxxx's true character is coming out, slowly (not fast enough for most of you, I am sure!)

Lord Plutarch waits while Peeta gives a letter to the footman. It is addressed to Katniss, that Lord Plutarch knows. Peeta tries to write Katniss every day, and bridles at the thought of staying longer in London.

There are dark circles under Peeta's eyes. There is no telling when -- or even if -- they have enough evidence to make a case, or to bring charges.

Lord Plutarch waits until Peeta is comfortably seated before asking, "Tell me again, Peeta. When you met HER in Paris -- "

Peeta groans and leans back in his chair. He runs a hand through his hair, mussing it even more. "She worked at a milliner's. She would invite me to a friend's, a Madame Fahey, for card games. It was just a way of making some money. We would play games of chance, place small bets. She expected me to bring friends; I did. Gradually, these card games became more and more popular, so that SHE and Madame Fahey were splitting the proceeds."

"When you met, would you say she was -- impoverished?"

Peeta shifts a little in his seat. "Not. Not exactly impoverished. But she was always wanting more."

"Did YOU pay her?" Lord Plutarch asks.

"No!" Peeta says.

"Did she ever ask you for a loan, or something of that nature?"

"Not -- " Peeta hesitates.

"Peeta?"

"Not in so many words. No, she never asked me for a loan."

"Hmm," Lord Plutarch says.

Peeta leans forward and in his face now is a singular determination. "Plutarch, is there any way to re-arrange my finances so that SHE may never lay a hand on what I have set aside for Katniss and my sons? Assure me of that, Plutarch, and I will agree to anything. The estate MUST pass to Katniss and my sons, should anything happen to me. Can you assure me of that?"

*     *     *

Lord Plutarch is in a thoughtful mood. After his discussion with Peeta, he had directed his coachman to take him to a pawnbroker's. He is following up on something he heard from one of his numerous contacts in the city: that a lady shrouded in black had been seen at this particular pawnbroker's, twice in the last week.

The terms of Lord Balmoral's will have been disclosed, but the process of transferring all his wealth to HER is suddenly complicated by some nephews of Lord Balmoral coming forward to contest the terms. Until those claims are looked into, SHE will not be getting her hands on her dead husband's money. Not for a while.

She was decidedly put out when Lord Plutarch sent her a message asking for a postponement of the meeting with Peeta -- to a date a month away.

 _She is short already_ , Lord Plutarch thinks.

For it takes a fortune to maintain a certain lifestyle in London.

*     *     *

The inspector stares at the gentleman who has just presented at his office and handed him a calling card.

"Lord Plutarch Heavensbee," the inspector reads on the front of the card. When he turns the card over, he sees an address in Kensington.

His eyes widen a bit. They rarely get noble lords and ladies popping into the station. These gentlefolk are only too happy to live their secure little lives in each other's townhouses or in the royal parks, promenading in their buggies or phaetons. And the Inspector -- Quinn is his name, never mind his first name, readers don't need to get attached to this character, he is simply a foil to -- umm, ADVANCE THE PLOT.

"How can I help you, Sir?" the Inspector asks.

"It's about the man who died last week," Lord Plutarch says.

"Beg pardon, sir, we get a lot of dead men in here," the Inspector says, then stops. Oh. He's such an idiot! Of course there is only one dead man that matters to this fellow. And that is --

"Lord Balmoral," Lord Plutarch puts in.

"Ah, yes," the Inspector says. "Very sad business, that. Were you -- ah -- related to him?"

"Afraid not," Lord Plutarch says. "But my client has some information that may assist the police in their investigation of this matter."

"And your client is -- " Inspector Quinn says.

"Never you mind who my client is," Lord Plutarch says. "He'll appear when it is necessary, and not a moment sooner. Do you have a minute, Inspector?"

"Of course!" Inspector Quinn says, gesturing to a chair. "Have a seat!"

He walks over to the door to his private office and closes it, not before exchanging a glance with his assistant and saying, "Tea for the gentleman, if you would!"

He can see -- from a further quick glance at the detectives seated at their desks -- that everyone is rather self-consciously trying to appear busy. Of course, they would have gathered that the gentleman, Lord Plutarch, was there in connection to the recent -- and shocking -- death of Lord Balmoral.

Amongst themselves, the detectives have been referring to it as The Case of the Lord's Knickers. Because that was how Lord Balmoral had been found: in his knickers. In fact, there had been more than a few bawdy ditties that had been bandied about, most of them having to do with a certain widow and her fine horse and buggy set, and the fact that the Lord was in some apartment on Bow Street when he met his untimely end.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a lawyer. Nor am I a historical fiction writer (obviously). So, any mistakes in this chapter are entirely my own.


	105. LORD PLUTARCH GETS TO WORK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Peeta, Lord Plutarch, and Lady Chiveley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter suits. I had a very "fun" time writing it, especially the second half.
> 
> It might be time to bring Katniss to London. 
> 
> Stay tuned.

"Peeta, I may have found something," Lord Plutarch says one morning.

Peeta looks sharply at him.

"I found a pawnshop."

Peeta raises an eyebrow.

"Apparently, SHE has been there twice, the past week."

Peeta lowers his coffee.

"She is short, Peeta," Lord Plutarch says, hardly able to keep the glee from his voice. "She is pawning her jewelry. When a woman does that . . . " he shrugs. "She pawned two pieces worth 71,500 pounds in the last week alone."

Both of Peeta's eyebrows are now raised. Lord Plutarch looks at him, a grin on his face. "It will not last, I think, the 71,500. She will demand you pay her. IS demanding that you pay her. If we can hold off, as long as we can, and see what she does . . . "

"She may take us to court," Peeta says.

"Good God, let her take you to court! The point is, we must not pay her. Not a single shilling."

Peeta is silent a moment. Then he says, "I cannot have her release those sketches, Plutarch. It would destroy Katniss."

"Would it?" Lord Plutarch says.

Peeta is silent, reflecting. Then he says, "Do we have grounds to sue for defamation?"

Lord Plutarch stops. "Perhaps." He says, "You knew her as Chiveley? Ten years ago?"

Peeta nods.

Lord Plutarch strokes his chin. "I wonder if she had another name, even before that."

"Why? Why would she have another name?" Peeta asks.

"She may have done this before, is what I am thinking," Lord Plutarch says. "In which case, she very well may have had another name, in another place. Outside of Paris, I mean. You say she was working for a milliner? You wouldn't happen to have the address?"

"It was on rue Caron," Peeta says. "In the Marais."

"Well," Lord Plutarch says. "That's a start, at any rate." He stands abruptly.

Peeta gapes. "Where are you off to?"

"There is much to do," Lord Plutarch says. "I shall see you this evening."

"May I not come with you?" Peeta asks.

"No," Lord Plutarch says. "Read a book."

*     *     *

Lady Chiveley yawns prettily into her gloved hand. She is seated at a table in her drawing room, one with a clear view of the street. She is dressed to receive visitors, which means she is wearing a new silk (She only wears widow's weeds when she is out and about; when she is by herself, she indulges in fantasies of the most wanton nature. More than a few of which involve Lord Peeta, who she is very certain she will have in her clutches sooner or later)

She scans the street for the sixth or seventh time. Suddenly, she spies a gentleman alighting from a carriage, a carriage she recognizes as belonging to Lord Plutarch. Her heart is beating madly in her chest, for she assumes he is with Peeta. To her great disappointment, however, the carriage door closes, and Lord Plutarch ascends the steps to her door unaccompanied.

She nevertheless gives her coiffure a gentle pat, and waits for the maid to announce Lord Plutarch.

When he enters, she is draped prettily on a chintz couch (a little further away from the window; she does not want to give the impression that she has been looking out at the street).

"My dear Lord Plutarch!" she titters, as soon as he enters the drawing room. "Is Lord Peeta following shortly?"

"No," Lord Plutarch says, rather abruptly.

Lady Chiveley does not like his tone. Moreover, he did not call her "Lady."

"Oh! How very tiresome of him! Was he not to come per the terms of our last communication?"

"He is indisposed," Lord Plutarch says.

"Oh! Since when? He looked rather fine at the Club, last week. I must pay him a social call!"

"He is quite, quite -- contagious. He has a virus of some sort and cannot receive any visitors. He did bid me to deliver a message to you."

"Has he, really?" Lady Chiveley says. "Well, then, do take a seat, Lord Plutarch! Would you like some tea?"

"I cannot stay, I have many pressing errands," Lord Plutarch says. "However, Lord Peeta regrets to inform you that the soonest he can meet with you is two months from hence."

"Two months!" Lady Chiveley almost shrieks. "That is altogether too late!"

"Well, that is his offer. It cannot be helped. It is your decision entirely whether you allow him this postponement, or whether you wish to -- to proceed with your plan. But I must warn you that to proceed with the release of the sketches may do more harm to your reputation than to Lord Peeta's. His wife, Lady Katniss, has seen the sketches and has forgiven her husband. Lady Katniss and Lord Peeta stand together on this, and not any unpleasantness you can devise can do anything to weaken their love and commitment for one another. That is the message from Lord Peeta. Good day!"

And with that, Lord Plutarch turns his back and sees himself out.

Lady Chiveley's mouth hangs open. When she finally recovers her wits, she flings her fan after Lord Plutarch, but it misses him (by a yard, at least). So swift is his exit that when she looks out her window, Lord Plutarch's carriage is already halfway down the street.


	106. WHO IS THE REAL LADY CHIVELEY?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Peeta and Lord Plutarch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was harder to write than I thought it would be, because I had to imagine what a newspaper item of the time would sound like. So it took a long time, lots of mis-steps.
> 
> The noose is slowly closing around xxxxxx.
> 
> I added a few more bits here and there.
> 
> Of the two men, Peeta and Lord Plutarch, Plutarch is the far more practical one. So he's going to be the engine that destroys xxxxx.
> 
> Added some dialogue from Lord Plutarch at the end.

A few days after Lord Plutarch delivers Peeta's message to Lady Chiveley, an article appears on the front page of London's biggest gossip rag, The Daily Mail.

The headline: LORD BALMORAL'S DEATH RAISES SOME QUESTIONS

The article is not very long, only about six column inches, but the last two paragraphs raises eyebrows.

The article begins with an obituary:

Lord Balmoral, Minister of Foreign Affairs, passed away suddenly Thursday evening, 20 November. Although the cause of death has yet to be determined, and authorities have declined to give out any information, it is clear that Lord Balmoral did not die of natural causes. He was 45.

A brief statement issued by the Prime Minister reads, in part:

"News of Lord Balmoral's unexpected death shocked and saddened all who knew him, many of whom respected him despite the occasional conflict of opinion. Our hearts go out to his widow, Lady Chiveley in this stressful and difficult time."

Here is a direct quote:

"Though Lord Balmoral was the soul of decorum in London, it is said that he behaved very differently abroad. In fact, his friends in France said they were taken completely by surprise when he was named Foreign Secretary, because the job's austere responsibilities seemed very far from his natural predilections. In the French side of the Channel, he was said to be the life and soul of a gay little band that haunted the casinos, turned day into night and had an unholy delight in the company of social butterflies."

The article went on to mention that he had been married a little over a year and that he had met his wife in France. Lady Chiveley and Lord Balmoral had been acquainted for a little over three months when he proposed marriage.

More from the article:

"Lady Chiveley was a milliner's assistant. She supplemented her meager income by hosting card games in which bets were placed. Card games are not illegal in France, but they generally attract a raffish mix of nobles and ne'er-do-wells. It was at one such card game that Lady Chiveley met Lord Balmoral.

They were married in Paris. Following that, Lady Chiveley accompanied Lord Balmoral to London. The couple were rarely seen together in social occasions. Lord Balmoral kept, in additon to his townhouse in the fashionable Mayfair district, a small apartment on Bow Street, in which he is said to have spent most of his time. Various young men were spotted going regularly in and out of the apartment.

The widow stands to inherit everything, pending discovery of a will that states how much and to whom he wished to leave the bulk of his estate. The Lady in question was asked by one of our reporters if she had applied for a discovery of assets, to which she replied, "Of course!" How much she will able to inherit from her extremely wealthy husband is still not clear.Two nephews of Lord Balmoral are contesting the will

In the past week, she acquired very luxurious phaetons and selected a pair of the finest chestnut mares and has been seen out and about. Lord Plutarch has been to her house twice, presumably to discuss finances."

* * *

Peeta reads the article in full over breakfast. His eyebrows rise straight to the top of his forehead.

"This is garbage! Peeta exclaims. "Pure garbage! Who has been talking to them, the servants?

"I planted the information and the reporter ran with it. Do you not see, Peeta? She might sue us for defamation, but I do not think she will. No solicitor in the country would agree to defend her, I made sure of that."

Peeta goes over the article again. In a softer voice, he asks, "How did you manage to keep my name out of it?"

"Well," Lord Plutarch says. "That took a little more -- er -- persuasion. But it is all worth it. Out of consideration for your wife. Lady Katniss has suffered far too much already, and I am absolutely determined that she not be made to suffer more."

Peeta stands, his face flushed.

Lord Plutarch gapes at him. "I am sorry, Peeta, perhaps I go too far -- "

Peeta says, "No. You are quite within your rights. It is I who have let it go too far."

Lord Plutarch says, "Play the martyr all you want, Peeta. But, remember, your wife loves you. She would lose her right hand if it meant keeping you safe. Now, that she-devil, on the other hand. SHE is far from finished. She will rise again, like a venomous snake. There is only one way to deal with her, and that is to finish her off. You did not start this fight, but my God, you will finish it. WE will finish it. We must."


	107. A SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peeta, Katniss, Lord Plutarch and Lady Prim, Lady Clove and Lady Glimmer

Peeta was getting ready to go out.

"It is time, Peeta," Lord Plutarch said. "Enough of hiding. Show your face in society again."

Peeta had only agreed because Katniss was at his side. She was wearing a beautiful yellow and gold gown of woven silk that the London designer, Cinna, had made expressly for her.

She hesitated before asking for Peeta's opinion. As Peeta looked at his wife, dressed in her finery, he almost told Lord Plutarch to forget it, that there was nothing in the world he would rather do than spend the evening at home, alone with his wife, who had only arrived in London three days before. The boys had been left in the care of Peeta's mother.

Peeta knew, however, that Lord Plutarch was most insistent on the importance of attending this evening's outing. Lord Plutarch was himself most elegantly attired, in a cream silk and satin coat that Lady Prim had specifically ordered up for him. And Lady Prim, too, was in attendance, wearing a muted gown of dove-grey silk.

When Lord Plutarch inquired why his wife did not wear a brighter color, Lady Prim replied, "All attention should be on Katniss. This is her triumph."

And so the four set out in Lord Plutarch's carriage. They were attending a musical concert hosted by the Prince Regent in his private residence. As the carriage drew nearer to their destination, Katniss began to tremble. Lady Prim gripped her hand and opened her fan.

"My dear, are you all right?" Lady Prim whispered.

Katniss nodded. "Yes. Perfectly all right. It is just -- "

"I shall be at your side the entire evening, never fear," Lady Prim said, giving Katniss's hand a sympathetic squeeze.

"And besides," Lady Prim continued, "you will see all our friends there: General Abernethy, as well as the Lady Delilah."

"Yes, I know," Katniss murmured. "I am being silly."

"And if, my dearest, you should happen to feel the slightest twinge of discomfort, we shall leave immediately," Peeta said, placing his arm around his wife's shoulders.

All too soon, the carriage came to a stop before the Royal Residence. Lord Plutarch was the first to emerge from the carriage, turning to help out his wife, Lady Prim. Next was Lord Peeta, and then finally, Katniss herself. She extended her foot, encased in a gold silk shoe trimmed with tiny diamonds. Peeta assisted her most carefully to the ground.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, their first encounter upon entering the Prince Regent's salon was with a pair of finely dressed ladies, one in a creamy silk gown trimmed with layers of gauze and Madras lace, and another in a pink-and-blue off-the-shoulder gown.

"Lady Clove, Lady Glimmer," Lady Prim greeted them icily. Lord Plutarch, who was watching his wife carefully, and who had wondered why she had chosen to wear silk lace-up boots to a musical concert, then glided smoothly forward (He saw his wife draw her right boot back, as if she might land a kick on someone's shins) and extended his arm for his wife to take. "Shall we proceed, my dear?" he asked. His wife regretfully allowed herself to be led away.

*     *     *     *

Several hours later, the four were seated once again in Lord Plutarch's carriage, having made it through the evening with nothing more unpleasant than "Prinnie" -- as the Prince Regent was somewhat derisively referred to -- trying unsuccessfully to peer down the front of Lady Katniss's dress. Peeta had taken exception to Prinnie's rudeness and Lord Plutarch had the devil of a time keeping him on a tight leash thereafter. Not an hour later, when Lady Katniss asked to be brought home, Peeta had immediately acceded. And then, Lady Prim had insisted on accompanying Lady Katniss. Which meant that Lord Plutarch must leave as well.

Once the four were seated in the carriage, Katniss gave a deep sigh of relief and leaned her head against Peeta's shoulder. "Must we go to more of these?" she murmured.

Peeta began to answer but Lord Plutarch cut in with a peremptory "Yes."

Katniss turned to her brother-in-law with uplifted eyebrows. "And when is the next engagement to be?"

"Well, I shall leave the pair of you alone for a few days," Lord Plutarch said. "But my dear Katniss, you must be seen out and about. There is no help for it."


	108. A MYSTERIOUS VISITOR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To refresh your memories (because it's been a while): Lord Finnick lives in Himachal Pradesh, India (where he owns a tea plantation). His wife is Joanna, who he met there. He has no hard feelings towards Peeta because of Annie. His marriage to Joanna is happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HUGE THANKS to shannon17 who made a banner for this fic (on tumblr). It is BEAUTIFUL! Especially the gowns.

"Good Heavens, my dear sir! What are you doing in my parlour? I thought you were still in India!" Lord Plutarch bursts out, upon being greeted by his unexpected visitor. It is April in London. Usually, Lord Finnick does not return to London until it is properly warm: June.

Lord Finnick smiles. There is a strange pull to his face when he does so, and it's only then that Lord Plutarch sees the scar disfiguring one cheek.

"Well, then, let me enlighten you about my presence, but I think it is most poorly that you have not yet offered me a brandy!" Lord Finnick says, laughter in his eyes.

"Of course! How very remiss of me!" Lord Plutarch exclaims. He calls for his butler, gives him a round scolding for not offering Lord Finnick a brandy immediately upon arrival, then sends him away to fetch some.

Lord Finnick and Lord Plutarch seat themselves on either side of the merrily burning fire.

"And how are things with you, Lord Finnick?" Lord Plutarch says, not wanting to mention the scar.

"I am very well, thank you Lord Plutarch. The life of a plantation owner suits me very well. Despite the occasional mishap." Lord Finnick gestures to his cheek with a rueful smile. "An accident while I was riding. My wife was beside herself but there was no damage -- except to my face, which is of no matter. My wife is expecting again," Lord Finnick says, with a joyful smile.

Lord Plutarch congratulates him effusively. Lord Finnick continues, "But this time there are complications. Not trusting the medical care in Himachal Pradesh, I persuaded her that our child needs to be born in London. And she eventually agreed."

"Ah! Splendid!" Lord Plutarch says. "London is fortunate to be graced by your presence!"

"And how is our mutual friend?" Lord Finnick inquires.

"Oh, er, as to that . . . " Lord Plutarch lets his voice trail away. Peeta has been the topic of malicious gossip for months. Perhaps the rumors have even reached India -- ? The corners of Lord Plutarch's mouth pull down.

Before Lord Plutarch can answer, Lord Finnick says, "A dreadful business, is it not? Poor Peeta!"

The brandy arrives, and both men sit in silence for a few moments.

"Well, Peeta has many friends. And his wife, as I'm sure I do not need to tell you, is as fine as they come. She has uttered not a breath of reproach, has appeared at his side at all the usual functions, and is as attached to him as ever. A finer lady has never existed. With the exception, of course, of my wife, Lady Prim."

Finnick smiles and murmurs his assent. "And a kinder man never lived than Peeta," Finnick said. "I knew his character, even though my late wife did her best to ruin it. It is a dreadful business that comes upon him now, when he is just beginning to turn his life around. Tell me about this Chiveley."

Lord Plutarch grimaces. "There is not much to tell about her. She is greedy, that is all."

"Ah!" Lord Finnick says. Both men again look at the fire.

"My brother-in-law's wife is expecting again."

Finnick raises an eyebrow. "Would that be his second?"

"No," Lord Plutarch says. "His third."

"His third!" Lord Finnick exclaims. "He is indeed a fortunate man!"

After a time, Lord Finnick inquires, "Is he in London?"

"No," Lord Plutarch says. "He has just returned to the country. He loves the country life, you know. And does your wife like London, sir?"

"No, she hates it," Lord Finnick says, and Lord Plutarch bursts into a loud guffaw.


	109. A VISIT FROM A COUNTRY DOCTOR

Peeta was never more in despair than that period of time when his wife left him, shortly after she had made the discovery of his sketches. It is his worst nightmare; he still feels the lash of guilt over it. And the Chiveley mess . . .

When he learned that Katniss was pregnant again, he made haste to leave London. He hates the city, and wishes never to set foot in it again (though he knows this is impossible; a lord does have responsibilities to society, after all).

Now he is back in the country, overseeing his estate, with his mother and two sturdy sons and Katniss -- his beautiful Katniss -- to be with, to love as they love him. Only late at night, and only in the privacy of his study, does he allow himself to read Lord Plutarch's latest missives. He is surprised to learn that Lord Finnick is in London, with his wife Joanna who is expecting. He holds nothing but the utmost respect for Lord Finnick, but is not keen on seeing him again -- the name brings with it some of Peeta's darkest memories.

Now, he hears the sound of the doctor's carriage, pulling up at the mansion's main entrance. The doctor comes every other afternoon, at Peeta's insistence, to check on Katniss. Katniss protests, "I am not an invalid, Peeta! Surely the good doctor has patients more in need of his attention than I!" But in this one instance, Peeta is firm. The doctor must come, must make sure Peeta's wife is well. Unspoken by either Katniss or Peeta is the worry that this latest scandal over Lady Chiveley will distract from Peeta's primary concern: which is the health and well-being of his wife. His sister, of course, has been a frequent visitor, and this more than anything has served to allay Peeta's fears. But, still, the doctor must come every other day.

As soon as the doctor alights from his carriage, Peeta is there to meet him in the entrance hall. The good doctor's name is Dr. Livesey. When he has checked on Katniss and assured her and her husband that all is well, he usually stays for dinner. And then he and Lord Peeta retreat to the parlour to smoke a pipe, and discuss country matters such as whether this or that mare has foaled, and whether the stabling at Benbow, the next village over, is as adequate as it used to be. Doctor Livesey is an old man, almost seventy, but his eyes are as bright as a robin's, and despite the fact that he has worked all his life in the country, and has rarely been to London, he has exquisite manners. For instance, though he has an inkling of Peeta's latest anxieties, he never asks Peeta about his doings in London. He is not a gossip, and has threatened more than once to box the ears of anyone who tries to pry information from him about Lord Peeta or Lady Katniss. This includes the doctor's wife, who despite her being a good and honest woman, is not above listening to a little gossip. He has known Peeta's family a very long time, and has attended Lady Katniss in both her previous pregnancies. He has often told Peeta what a wonderful mother Katniss is, and sometimes the doctor's wife teases him about being infatuated with her, although she knows very well what a good, decent man the doctor is.

The one thing Dr. Livesey has broached with Peeta is that, after this third child is born, perhaps measures should be undertaken to allow Lady Katniss "a rest." He has only to say that, and Peeta understands immediately. "Only for a few years, mind you," the good doctor says. "She is young yet. But -- "

Peeta holds up a hand. "I understand perfectly. I would want my wife to be at ease, to enjoy the children she already has, and she does hate confinement. She loves the outdoors, as you well know."

Yes, the doctor knows.

It is very pleasant passing the evening with Lord Peeta. Peeta is relaxed and utterly content. Sometimes, Lady Katniss and Lady Prim will join them and then after dinner Lady Katniss might be persuaded to sing a song or two for them. She has the most beautiful voice the doctor has ever heard. She very well earns her nickname as the Songbird of Yorkshire. While Lady Katniss sings, the doctor watches Peeta, whose face is unfailingly rapt and full of adoration. The doctor thinks he has never seen a man so in love with his wife.

He of course saw Lord Peeta grow up, and knew Lady Anne (naturally), and his heart ached during all that terrible business. But -- _he is a fine man, he will come through_ , the doctor says to himself. 

And so the time passes pleasantly in the country.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're still enjoying the story! I really like writing about Peeta's peaceful life in the country.


	110. A VISIT FROM LORD PLUTARCH

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RECAP: Katniss and Peeta have two boys. The elder boy is Daniel, the second is Edward. Katniss is expecting a third child. (They eventually end up with four, but there will be a big gap between the third and the fourth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bridging chapter, so I can slowly work my way back to this story.

Lord Peeta, Lady Katniss, and their two rambunctious little boys are in the library, the two boys fighting for sole access to Peeta's lap while he reads them a story, Katniss watching indulgently, her hands folded over her slightly protruding belly. Peeta loves these moments most of all, and Katniss does, too. She looks fondly at her boys and at their father. The older boy is so much like Peeta, with his blue eyes and blonde hair. The second is blonde as well, but has his mother's grey eyes. Gathered together like that, surrounded by the books Katniss loves so much, they are a perfect picture of domestic happiness. Suddenly, there is a discreet knock at the door to the library. Katniss hears it before Peeta does (her senses were always sharper than his) and she says at once, "Come in!"

"Sir, Madam," the butler says, bowing. "You have a visitor."

"A visitor!" Katniss says. She knows it isn't Prim or Plutarch; they walk in un-announced, for Lord Peeta's home is always open to them, no matter the time of day.

Peeta pauses in his reading. "Who is it?" he asks cautiously.

Before the butler has time to respond, Lord Plutarch enters the room.

"Plutarch!" Katniss says, getting to her feet. "This is a lovely surprise! Have you brought your wife?"

"Er, no," Lord Plutarch says. "She is at the estate. Ah, given her condition -- "

Lady Prim is in her sixth month of pregnancy and Lord Plutarch insists she must not travel about so much.

"I shall have to go and visit her then," Katniss says.

"Delighted to hear!" Lord Plutarch says. "I am on my way to London and thought I would stop by, as I am bound to be in London a few weeks."

The little boys stretch their hands out, expecting treats. For Lord Plutarch spoils them by bringing them little presents, whenever he comes to visit. "Not today, boys," Lord Plutarch says. "But if you are very good, and do not give your mother much trouble, I shall make it up to you on my next visit!"

The boys sigh, but at a sign from their father, they desist and settle back to their games by the fire.

At the mention of London, Peeta's face darkens. "It is a fine day, Plu," Peeta says. "Shall I show you my new plantings? Katniss, could you have tea ready for us, say in an hour or so?"

Katniss nods. Peeta sees that her expression is troubled. He walks up to her and puts a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Now, wife," he says softly. "I see you anticipate some unpleasant news. But I shall not leave your side, never. Plutarch can handle my business in London."

"And that I shall!" Lord Plutarch says stoutly. This startles Katniss, for she had no idea his hearing was so acute.

She nods and seats herself on the chaise lounge. Peeta leads Lord Plutarch out, to the terrace overlooking the gardens, and they begin to walk. Peeta is the first to break the silence.

"Is there any news, Plutarch? About -- " Peeta cannot even bear to mention the lady's name. In what should be the happiest time of his life, he is still plagued by these spectres from the past.

"Yes, well, quite. No news yet, my dear brother-in-law. But I am going to London to see if my detectives have unearthed information that might be useful to us."

Peeta stops, turns, and clasps his brother-in-law's hand. "I owe you so much, Plutarch," he says. "So much."

"Ach!" Lord Plutarch says, brushing aside Peeta's words. "I would have done the same for any man. I dislike her kind exceedingly. And it would be best for us all to be quit of her, absolutely."

Peeta lowers his gaze. He is besieged by guilt and regret.

They continue their walk, while Katniss watches from the French windows. When an hour has passed, Peeta returns, alone.

"Has Plutarch left?" she asks Peeta, puzzled. "He has not had tea -- ?"

"No, he must to London before dark. He had me pass on his apologies."

Katniss nods and says, "Well, then, it shall be you and I together, husband. And we shall think no more of London, or any of that business there."

At this, Peeta is seized with such overwhelming gratitude and love for his wife that he walks right up to her, seats himself on the couch next to her, and pulls her into a tight embrace. Her arms go around him. They sit like that, neither of them able to speak for a few moments.

"I am sorry," Peeta mumbles.

"Do not be," Katniss murmurs. "I am happy here."

Peeta pulls back and looks intently at his wife's face. "Every day I am beset by fear that you will pack up and leave, leaving me alone here, with my guilt and my regret and my -- "

"No," Katniss says fervently. "Never again. This is my home, Peeta. I belong here, with my children. With you."

"I have caused you much suffering," Peeta says. "Some instinct should have warned you to keep your distance. But I saw you standing there, in your plain gown, looking so lost among all those peacocks, and there was an expression on your face that was so proud, so defiant almost. I think I may have fallen in love with you right at that moment, Katniss. My dearest Katniss."

"For my part," Katniss says, "I saw you and found you to be the most handsome man I had ever seen." She presses a kiss to her husband's lips. She has not been so bold in a long time. To kiss like that, in the library, when at any moment one of their boys, or a servant, might come in and surprise them. She knows it is not seemly. But she does not care. This is her husband. She loves him. And she will always stand by him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prim is expecting her second! Decided to slip that one in.


	111. LADY PRIM IS IMPATIENT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since I inserted a little about Prim in the previous chapter, I decided to explore giving her a more active role in bringing 'Lady' Chiveley down.
> 
> So, no Katniss and Peeta in this chapter, sorry. It's mostly me having fun with imagining the interactions of Lord Plutarch with his wife.

"My dear, how is London? Any news?" Prim writes. Lord Plutarch has been in London almost a month. He reveals little, however, about his work on Peeta's behalf, only remarking that the case is "far from hopeless" and that London society is the same as ever: "keenly sensitive," Lord Plutarch writes his wife, "to violations of protocol."

Lady Prim would have disputed the latter point, for if London society was so "keenly sensitive" as all that, it would have sent Chiveley (she refuses to grant her the honor of referring to her as a "Lady") packing. As it stands, Chiveley is seen out and about, and remains -- as Prim has frequently remarked -- "horribly misled about the extent of her own charms."

"And how are you, dearest wife?" Lord Plutarch inquires. "Are you sleeping and eating well? I hope James is behaving."

Lady Prim is a little bigger than when he has seen her last. But this does not seem to have diminished her energy in the least.

"I am exceedingly well," Prim writes. "Katniss has made me a present of some novels, and I have made an attempt to get through at least one. You know that, unlike you and Katniss, I am no intellectual. I wish this horrible business were over."

Lord Plutarch reads each of his wife's letters with great enjoyment. Little can induce him to smile, nowadays. Except for his wife's letters.

"Now you must return soon, dear husband," Prim writes. "For I have invited Katniss and Peeta to visit the week after next."

"I cannot promise," Lord Plutarch writes back. "This is a rather complicated matter, as you know."

****

Lord Plutarch folds the latest of Prim's missives and places it in a locked drawer of his escritoire. Having requested that a light supper be taken up to his room, he looks pensively out at the street. He misses his wife. He wishes he could wrap his arms around her. Their first child was a gift; he had hoped, but did not expect it, the gap in their ages being so large. James was his pride and joy. And then, in September, his wife approached him in his study, sat down with a most grave look on her face and said, "I believe I am expecting again, dear husband."

He had pulled her onto his lap and pressed fervent kisses to her cheeks, her lips. And then, she had put a hand on his chest and said, "It is positively ghastly."

Lord Plutarch was so taken aback that he remained silent.

"I mean," said Prim, shifting slightly so that she could see his face. "That trollop. A slow death would be too good for her."

"Have you been thinking on her all this time?" Lord Plutarch asked, nonplussed.

"Yes, of course yes," Prim replied. "Can you blame me?"

And then she extracted from Lord Plutarch a promise that he would go to London and exert effort to bring the matter to some kind of satisfactory conclusion.

"For when the birth is near, you cannot leave for London again, not until after I have delivered," Prim said. "And I do not like to see Katniss and my brother suffer so."

Lord Plutarch frowned, for he knew how much Katniss and Peeta meant to Prim. He acknowledged that he may have allowed Peeta's concerns to slip occasionally from his mind. He had his own estate to manage, after all. And as the months rolled on and the woman had made no further threats, he was content to leave things as they were -- in an apparent stalemate.

Nevertheless, Lord Plutarch was a sincere and honest husband, and he promised his wife he would do his utmost for her brother.

"May I -- " Prim had taken a deep breath. "May I come with you?"

The very idea was abhorrent to Lord Plutarch and he shook his head.

"Matters of this type," he explained, "require me to treat with rather unsavory individuals . . . "

"I KNOW, you foolish man," Prim had cried. "But there are times when perhaps the presence of a woman could . . . move matters along?"

Lord Plutarch was troubled. "A lady should not involve herself -- "

His wife's eyes burned with intense annoyance. "Fie, you have no idea what I am capable of, sir." She slid off his lap and stood.

Lord Plutarch again shook his head. "The less you have to do with her, the better," he said.

"She cannot touch me!" Prim burst out.

"You are right," Lord Plutarch said. "It is what you would do to her that concerns me."


	112. HOW TO SHOW YOUR LOVE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss and Peeta share a quiet moment.
> 
> I wrote this chapter to make up for not having them at all in the last chapter.

Summer had ended. It was the second week of September. Katniss was in her fourth month.

She and Peeta still took walks around the estate. Peeta loved looking at his wife in the open air, her hair blown gently by a soft breeze, her eyes bright, her color high. If he could have painted her right then . . . but she would never sit still for long. He planned for a time when she would be more inclined to rest -- perhaps in a month or two.

Now, he and his wife were out on the terrace, she reading a book and Peeta merely gazing at her. By the steps leading from the terrace to the gardens, there was a fountain, at the center of which was a bronze statue of a little boy holding a shell in his clasped hands. This boy was Peeta, in his childhood. His parents had commissioned the sculpture soon after his second birthday.

The fountain was ringed by laburnum trees, making a serene canopy. How he loved to watch them when they were in full bloom, the golden flowers were glorious. Now, however, the flowers had drooped and their pods lay scattered on the earth. Peeta frowned. He would have to tell the gardeners to clean more diligently. He glanced at his wife; she was still looking at her book. He could not bear the thought of leaving her, even for a few minutes, to instruct the gardener, so he continued to sit, making notes in his mind of the work that needed to be done.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Katniss saying his name.

"Are you not bored sitting here with me all morning?" Katniss asked.

"Of course not," Peeta said. "If I could sit here, every day, watching you by the fountain, I would die a happy man. I am thinking that, before the weather changes, we should enjoy being outside, as much as we can."

"Yes," Katniss said, nodding. She looked pensive and then said, putting down her book, "Do you know, when you had to be away in London, I liked so much sitting here and looking at that fountain. I did not know you as a child, so I liked to imagine you, standing just as the boy in that fountain, clasping a shell in your hands."

Peeta leaned over and clasped one of Katniss's hands in his own. "Perhaps we need another fountain," he said. "One with the two of us at its centre."

Katniss continued, as if she had not heard: "I would ask them to bring my food here. It was too lonely eating by myself, otherwise. Or I would sup with Daniel and his governess, in the nursery. I do not like when you are away."

"I shall never leave you alone," Peeta said, at the same time feeling a growing sense of disquiet.

"But -- it is too difficult, surely, to conduct your affairs entirely from your country seat? What of your associates, your investments, your presence at court . . . "

"I have quit that life," Peeta said.

The way he spoke, with a touch of anger, made Katniss look intently at his face. They had spent almost the entire summer out-of-doors. His skin was touched by the sun, his hair even fairer than it normally was. He was wearing a soft linen shirt, with the sleeves rolled up at the elbow, and she had a sudden memory of him as he had looked when she had not known him -- at the party of his sister, and at services in the York cathedral. She had secretly imagined what it would be like to be held in his strong arms, but now that she no longer needed to imagine, she was seized, sometimes, with anxiety.

"Look at me, Katniss," Peeta said.

Katniss raised her face.

"Yes, I shall build another fountain, a fountain that shows that boy grown up, with his beautiful wife by his side. That child you love to look at, the one with the shell -- he was not a happy child. He was never left in peace, there was always someone watching, scolding. My sister did as she pleased, but not I."

He was seized by a sudden impulse. "Let us go inside," Peeta said.

"But -- the day is too beautiful," Katniss protested.

"Wife, let us go to our rooms, and send away the servants, for I have a mind to spend an entire day showing you how deeply I love you."

A flush spread slowly over Katniss's cheeks. "You show me every day, Peeta," she murmured.

He took her hand and stood, helping her to her feet. He pulled her back towards the house, and she followed, with a sense of unreality. She followed her husband to the stairs, and at the landing they met Daniel and Edward and their governesses, but Peeta only shook his head and the look of warning he gave them must have been enough, for the governesses rushed their charges down the stairs without further ado.

Peeta led his wife to their room, where the bed had been freshly made. As he began to lead her toward it, Katniss pulled back. "Is it not -- unseemly -- in the middle of the morning . . . the servants will talk."

"Let them," Peeta said roughly. "I am weak with love for you, Katniss. Very weak. I am like one suffering from a fever, whose only remedy is to feel his wife's skin against his own."

There was no further talking, for a long while. Quietly, Katniss began to remove her clothes, and Peeta watched her silently. She stripped everything off, and Peeta did not touch her until she lay on the bed and called to him. Then, and only then, did he approach, his eyes burning, his face suddenly very pale. He removed his shirt, then his trousers, and lay down next to his wife, their faces very close together, their breathing suddenly loud in the room.

Peeta said, "My love," and touched Katniss's cheek. His eyes shone.

"Why are you crying, my love?" Katniss said, her voice suddenly distressed.

Peeta didn't answer. Instead, he pressed a hand against the small swell of her belly.

"You have quite unmanned me, Katniss," he said. "I cannot exist without you."

Some time later, they lay side by side, breathless and spent. Peeta raised himself on one elbow and looked down at his wife. Her eyes were open; she was looking at him as if she were lost in a dream.

"What are you thinking?" Peeta asked.

She raised a hand and stroked his cheek. "Only that you are so beautiful," she said.

Peeta smiled. He sat up, reaching for the cloth and the pitcher of water on the table next to the bed. He dipped the cloth in the pitcher and then, very gently, began to run the cloth over her body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the next chapter all written out, unfortunately it's a Chiveley chapter.


	113. THE WITCH RETURNS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Fair Warning: This chapter is all about Chiveley.

Lady Chiveley could not shake the feeling that she was being followed. Yet she remained proud and would not abandon her plans.

She made it a point to visit her husband's mausoleum often, at least every other day. She always brought flowers.

She had paid a pretty penny for a headstone carved from the rarest Carara marble. She had chosen the words that were now engraved:

IN MEMORY OF AMBROSE BALMORAL, BELOVED HUSBAND OF JACQUELINE CHIVELEY.

She found that, alone before her husband's grave, she could say things she would confide in no other person. It seemed to her that her social circle had grown exceedingly small since her husband's unexpected demise. She did not know what to make of it. But she was as determined as ever to surmount this setback.

One day, as she was leaving the grave, she was accosted by a most unsavoury young man, who claimed he had been her husband's lover.

"He was in love with me, you know," the young man told her. "He asked me to -- "

"That's enough," Lady Chiveley said coldly. "I can see you are very young, and also very stupid. You do not frighten me."

"You are wicked," the young man hissed. "Your husband confided in me. I found him dead, in the apartment on Bow Street. I remembered what he told me: that you were an evil woman who wished him ill."

Lady Chiveley looked at him coldly. "What are you insinuating?" she said.

"If I had been with him, he would not have died," the young man said, in a tremulous voice.

Lady Chiveley continued on her way. She could see her waiting carriage, and the coachman. She knew they had seen her. She was safe, now.

"I wrote down everything he told me," the young man called after her. "I can relinquish my notes, if you offer the right amount."

"No," Lady Chiveley said, in a loud voice, without turning her head. "Go and tell your filthy story to Fleet Street. Whatever the papers choose to publish, I shall deny. Who do you think people will believe: you, or myself?"

"If that is your wish," the young man called after her.

As she got into her carriage, she heard the young man sob, "If only I had died with him."

That had been her most trying experience to date. Not because of the young man's words, no. But because the sound of his soft sobbing almost made her turn back, almost made her feel pity.

She was not, however, a woman of impulse. She knew that pity was dangerous. And so she did not turn back.

This young man did not deserve her pity. Neither did Peeta. Self-interest alone would direct her actions. She had decided this long ago.

An idea occurred to Lady Chiveley. She rapped on the roof of her carriage, a small window opened, and the coachman's face peered down at her.

"To Lord Heavensbee's," she instructed.

The coachman tipped his hat.

* * * *

"My Lord, you have a visitor," said the butler to Lord Plutarch.

"Who is it?" Lord Plutarch inquired. He had not made any plans to receive visitors, preferring to work away at Peeta's case, with as much diligence as possible.

"Lady Chiveley, sir," the butler said.

Lord Plutarch marveled at the woman's brazenness. "Show her in," he instructed. The butler bowed and exited the drawing room.

Lord Plutarch rose to his feet. The devil, he thought. How can I put her off?

In a few moments, Lady Chiveley entered the room. Lord Plutarch could not make out her visage for she was heavily veiled. She still wore her widow's weeds.

"How may I help you?" Lord Plutarch began. He was about to add 'Lady Chiveley' but decided at the last moment that she did not warrant such deference.

Lady Chiveley trilled. "Where are your manners, good sir? You might at least offer me a cup of tea."

"Tea is something I share with friends, and you most certainly are not one," Lord Plutarch said crisply.

"Oh, dear! How tiresome you are!" Lady Chiveley said. "I suppose you cannot tell me when to expect your brother-in-law to visit?"

"That I can tell you quite easily," Lord Plutarch said. "Never."

"Indeed!" Lady Chiveley said. "You sound quite definite about the matter."

"My brother-in-law has made it very clear what he thinks of you."

Lady Chiveley paused. Then, she decided to go to the heart of the matter: "Was it you who had me followed today?"

Lord Plutarch snorted. "Of course not."

"Indeed?" Lady Chiveley said. She watched Lord Plutarch's eyes carefully. "The young man gave me every indication to believe it was you."

"You speak in riddles," Lord Plutarch said. "What young man?"

"The one who accosted me at the cemetery, where I go daily to weep over my husband's grave."

Lord Plutarch was quite put out. Good God, what lies was this woman not capable of uttering?

"Might that young man have been someone unrelated to myself or to Lord Peeta? Lord Balmoral was a public figure, after all. Perhaps the man merely wished to offer you his condolences," Lord Plutarch said.

"He was quite unpleasant. In fact, he quite frightened me."

"Then I suggest your next stop should be the Police. Their station is that way. Good day!"

Lady Chiveley gave a little laugh. "May I trust you to deliver a letter?"

"To whom?" Plutarch asked.

"Why, to Peeta, of course," she answered.

"Madam, any communication with Lord Peeta would be best be kept to the barest minimum. After all, you are adversaries."

"I do not care if you read it. Of course, you will. But he must know my true feelings. May I have some paper? May I sit down?"

Lord Plutarch grimaced. But he could not very well deny her. He gestured stiffly to a desk in a corner and said, "I shall fetch you some paper and a quill. A moment." He left the room and returned with some paper, a quill and a bottle of ink.

"Thank you," Lady Chiveley said, and immediately set to writing her letter. After ten minutes of writing, she put down the quill, blew prettily over the ink to help it dry (Lord Plutarch grit his teeth so hard at this affectation he was sure she could hear the sound from across the room), then handed the letter to Lord Plutarch.

He glanced briefly over its contents and gave her a curt nod.

"Shall I expect an answer?" Lady Chiveley asked.

"You should not expect anything," Lord Plutarch said.

"Do you mean to challenge me, sir!" she cried.

"Madam, I do not mean to challenge you. I mean to destroy you."

* * * *

Lord Plutarch had not, after all, been able to accomplish anything after the woman's visit. He spent the day in his study, lost in thought. He longed greatly to be done with Chiveley, but she was a formidable opponent. He thought of his wife, languishing in the country, but remained confident in his decision not to involve her. He sighed deeply, knowing it would be several weeks at least until he saw her again.

And then he thought of the black-hearted woman who had disrupted his morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I know, it is very out-of-character for Annie to be Peeta's mistress. But, well, this is an experiment.


End file.
